It’s not a coincidence that Saint Luke puts these two stories side by side. On the one hand we are taught in the Good Samaritan Story how disciples of Jesus Christ are to go out into the highways, and go and pick up and care for the wounded and those in need.
On the other hand, what do we learn about discipleship from Mary and Martha? Martha was busy with all the details of hospitality and Mary was sitting at the feet of Our Lord, listening to his word. And it was Mary who was praised by the Lord, He said, “Mary has chosen the better part”.
Saint Luke emphasizing a very important lesson in discipleship; yes, we have to care for those in need, yes we have to lift up the wounded, but we cannot lose sight of the one most necessary thing, we must remain grounded by sitting at the feet of Christ—nurturing that close, personal, intimate relationship with Him through prayer, meditation, and contemplation.
I’m reminded of a story from the Missionary Sisters of Charity, the order of sisters founded by St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta. I got to work with the Missionary Sisters in Rome at a homeless shelter every week for about 5 months, and also at an orphanage in Madagascar. One of the charisms of the Missionary Sisters of Charity is to take care of the poorest of the poor. They literally lift starving people out of the gutter and give them food and shelter. Every day, the Missionary Sisters of Charity make a holy hour, they pray for an hour every day, usually around 6am, in front of the blessed Sacrament.
One day, a young novice goes to Mother Theresa, and says how she thinks the holy hour is a waste of time; there are people starving to death on the streets while the sisters are in the chapel praying. “Sister, you seem very troubled” Mother said. “I am, Mother, this holy hour is a waste of time.” “Because you are so troubled,” said mother Theresa to the young novice, “you need two hours.”
St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church, would remarked similarly, “"Everyone of us needs half an hour of prayer each day, except when we are busy—then we need an hour."
Francis de Sales and Mother Theresa would likely agree that it is so easy to become burnt out and disconnected from God without the daily prayer that sustains us.
Martha was no doubt doing good work in the Gospel today. But the Lord corrects her—reorients her. Why? For one, she comes into the room complaining. Never a good way to enter a room and begin a conversation. Martha complains: Lord, don’t you care that my sister isn’t helping me? Jesus, don’t you care about the same things I care about? Already, we detect, a misalignment of Martha’s will and Jesus’ will. And this misalignment has brought her unhappiness and resentment. She then seeks to force her will upon Jesus and upon her sister: “tell her to help me.”
Had Martha spent quality time with the Lord, would she be making this complaint and this demand? I think not. If we aren’t praying, “Thy will be done” we are likely seeking that “my will be done”. And this will always bring exhaustion and unhappiness.
Thinking that OUR earthly priorities, our earthly pursuits, are more important than spending time with Jesus is among the greatest mistakes we can make in the Christian life. It makes an idol of our work. Martha is preoccupied with the earthly and missing out on the heavenly. Martha has her priorities backwards. As so many of us do. Rather. The Lord calls us to holy work, but holy work flows from the living relationship with Christ.
And we might want to defend Martha here, “someone had to do the work. Someone had to serve the meal.” No. That is not the point of the story. Seek first the kingdom of God. Mary has chosen the better part because she has first looked upon Jesus Christ with eyes of faith and a heart of love. She has taken the time to meditate upon the meaning of his presence and to contemplate his face.
Pope Benedict XVI took up this lesson in his first encyclical titled, Deus Caritas Est, God is love. He teaches that no Christian can be exempt from practicing charity; care for those in need is part of our Christian identity. But, what makes Christian service different from mere secular service agencies, is that our love of neighbor flows from our love of God. We prioritize the nurturing of that Holy Relationship with God.
Pope Benedict writes: “It is time to reaffirm the importance of prayer in the face of the activism and the growing secularism of many Christians engaged in charitable work. Clearly, the Christian who prays does not claim to be able to change God's plans or correct what he has foreseen. Rather, he seeks an encounter with the Father of Jesus Christ, asking God to be present with the consolation of the Spirit to him and his work. A personal relationship with God and an abandonment to his will can prevent man from being demeaned and save him from falling prey to the teaching of fanaticism and terrorism.”
Ok. Activism, Fanaticism and terrorism being the result of not praying, this sounds extreme. But who of us are immune from becoming activists for non-essentials, fanatical about our own plans, and terrible in imposing those plans on others. Prayer, meditation upon the word of God, studying the example of the saints, attending the school of the saints, as we say, will help us remain rooted in what matters most.
Ah but when, we do answer the call to prayer. We become charged and changed by God’s presence. His peace calms us, his joy radiates from us, his wisdom guides us, and his love burns within us. Our work can then become transformed into an encounter with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Every day we are faced with the choice to be more like Martha or more like Mary— Busy about all of our worldly pursuits, or drawn deeper into the life and love of God. Let us renew our commitment today to daily prayer, to seeking the one thing that really matters, Jesus Christ Our Lord, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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