Jesus’s encounter with Martha and
Mary seems to be a private visit. The plural ‘they’ is used in the beginning of
this passage from Luke’s gospel to indicate that Jesus was travelling with a
group, namely, His disciples. However, the singular ‘he’ is used when Jesus
enters the village of Bethany where Martha and Mary reside. It seems as though
Jesus was taking advantage of His trip through Bethany by visiting His close
friends Martha and Mary, just as we may visit close friends along the way of a
long journey.
So how did this so-called “private
visit” become “public record” for centuries of Christians to hear and read as a
basis for their own reflection and assimilation? Ultimately, we must say that
this is the work of the Holy Spirit. On the practical level (through the
guidance of the Holy Spirit), we can suspect that either Martha or Mary (or
both) shared their experience with the newly formed Christian community, and it
was believed to contain a universal lesson from which all Christians can learn.
In other words, this passage from Luke’s gospel is not just information about Jesus with Martha and
Mary left for historical consideration; rather, it contains formation for all Christians in the very
essence of discipleship. So what does this gospel passage teach not only Martha
but all of us as Christ’s disciples?
To recount the story, Mary “sat at the
Lord’s feet and listened to his [Jesus’s] teaching” (Lk 10:39), whereas Martha
“was distracted with much serving” (Lk 10:40). From Martha’s perspective,
however, it was Mary who was distracted, and her reaction was quite audacious: for
Martha questions whether the Lord even cares if she’s serving alone and then
commands the Lord to have Mary help her if He really does care. Instead of
acceding to Martha terms, Jesus corrects Martha’s perspective: amidst the many
duties in life, “one thing is necessary” (Lk 10:42). Thus, Mary has “chosen the
better part” (Lk 10:42), which will endure.
We now return to our question: what
does this gospel passage teach not only Martha but all of us who wish to be strengthened
in our relationship with the Lord? The answer to this question can take several
paths. For one, St. Augustine says that Martha was busy preparing a meal for
the Lord. He then contrasts Martha with Mary: “Mary was feasting” (Sermon 103) as she sat at the Lord’s
feet, listening to His teaching. Complementing the gospel theme that Jesus
nourishes us, the hunger of Mary’s soul was being satisfied.
To be sure, the gospel passage does
not specify what Martha was busy doing, whether it was preparing a meal or
doing something else. What we do know is that Martha was busy “with much
serving” (Lk 10:40). In the Latin, it reads, frequens ministerium. Ministerium,
meaning ‘service’, is where we get the English word ‘ministry.’ This is not to
suggest that Martha was busy doing parish ministry as we now conceive it.
Nevertheless, performing the ministry, or service, of the Lord – in whatever
form – can become a distraction. Yes, good things can become a distractions
from the “one thing necessary,” especially when it becomes a source of
self-pity, which occurs when our work is not grounded in the Lord through
prayer. The universal character of the story is that we are tempted like Martha, being distracted by good works from
what must be the motivation and purpose of our work: Jesus Christ. Hence comes
the universal lesson: we must choose the better part and find ourselves not
only busy serving but busy sitting at the Lord’s feet, busy listening to His teachings.
How do we sit at the Lord’s feet
today? Where is His presence, so that we might sit there? We sit at the Lord’s
feet today when we visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Although we might have
a lot to say, we must not forget that, like Mary, we must also listen. When we
do not have the occasion to visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and rest in
His presence sacramentally, we can always pause and recall His presence in us
and in the world, knowing that Jesus is always with us (cf. Mt 28:20).
In taking seriously this lesson to
frequently be in the Lord’s presence each day amidst our busy schedule, let us
remember that Martha had to learn and overcome this struggle. After all, the
Church recognizes her as a saint. If we persevere, we can become a saint, too.
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