Martha Martha Martha! | October 6, 2015

 October 6, 2015

I used to think that the story of Martha and Mary was a commentary on work vs. idleness, but this morning I picked up on something that I had never noticed before. I never noticed it before because I was probably busy jumping on the Martha bandwagon to complain about all the lazy people that refuse to lift a freaking finger around here!! Raise your hand if you are a little guilty of this too. And because I am currently in Mary mode, I was able to notice a detail in the story that I overlooked in the past.

We know the account well. The story of Lazarus, found later is scripture, lets us know that Jesus was close personal friends with this family. Perhaps Mary and Joseph were friends with their parents and they grew up together. The home of Martha and Mary in Bethany was one of Jesus’ rest stops where he would go to get away from it all. He was extremely familiar with them and they appear to be even closer friends than the other disciples, indicating that there was some history between them. I love details like this because I do want to know about Jesus’ life before his official ministry began. Who were his peeps? What lunch table did he sit at school? How did he spend his free time? What was his favorite food (Hummus? Grilled cheese? Brussel sprouts?)? Anyway, I don’t know why but I get the impression that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were in the picture even before Jesus started his formal ministry. This may be why Mary felt so comfortable to sit “at his feet”. Perhaps he was that guy at family parties that told all the jokes, the anecdotes, the proverbial “there was this one time” stories, you know…the life of the party.

Obviously, Mary wanted to soak up every minute of her Jesus time and was totally enthralled by whatever story or teaching he was telling. I would love to know if he was doing a formal teaching at the time or if he was just telling stories from being on the road. That seems like a fun thing to meditate on. I love love love hearing teachers tell stories about their class. The funny and sweet things their kids say and do. Or when youth ministers get together and tell ministry stories. My personal favorites are things that went wrong on retreat! I wonder if Jesus was just telling stories for fun. I wonder if he was sharing how he felt inside when he healed someone or watched someone’s life change in an instant, or how cool it is to witness people actually understand the meaning of a parable, or was he grouping and sharing his closest moments with his Father, what his prayer life is like these days, and how he’s been living the gospel. If any of these things were taking place, can’t you picture yourself 1,000% in Mary mode? I can.

So obviously Martha, in her own way, was trying to honor her guests by providing hospitality, food, drinks, and comfort. This is all good and exactly how we should treat guests and most especially Christ. Where Martha gets herself into trouble (with a lower case “t”) is when she starts complaining. Uh oh. Note to self: do I complain when people don’t work as hard as I do? Uh oh. Do I spend a lot of time focusing on others and how they are acting or not acting? Uh oh. Do I get pissy about lazy people? Uh oh. Do I pester Jesus with all of these complaints while he is trying to teach? Uh oh. Raise your hand if you answered yes to any of the above. Uh oh. 

The detail that I never noticed before comes when Jesus says, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.” He’s not offended that she is so busy working to serve them all. He doesn’t necessarily want her to sit down and do nothing. What he wants if for to stop worrying so much and to be at peace like Mary, “There is need of only one thing.  Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” The better part that he is talking about is the peace that comes from resting at the feet of Christ. In the ancient Middle East, because feet were some of the only exposed parts of the body, contact with them was considered extremely intimate. Jesus wants an intimate relationship with us. Sitting at his feet, resting our head on his lap and while he whispers that we are his favorite, he strokes our hair or head and tells us to be at peace. Don’t worry, my beloved, I got you. Don’t worry, best friend, I am yours. Don’t worry, my love, all is well. This is the better portion and the portion that should be consumed everyday in prayer.

So this gospel is not telling us to stop working, it is telling us to stop worrying and to find peace while resting in Christ. Like Mary, we too need to soak up every minute of Jesus time. When we rest at his feet our work will become our joy and our pleasure and eventually there will be no more worry.

Reading 1 JON 3:1-10

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:
“Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
and announce to it the message that I will tell you.”
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,
according to the LORD’s bidding.
Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;
it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing,
“Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,”
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small,
put on sackcloth.

When the news reached the king of Nineveh,
he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,
covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.
Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh,
by decree of the king and his nobles:
“Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep,
shall taste anything;
they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water.
Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth
and call loudly to God;
every man shall turn from his evil way
and from the violence he has in hand.
Who knows, God may relent and forgive,
and withhold his blazing wrath,
so that we shall not perish.”
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;
he did not carry it out.

Responsorial Psalm PS 130:1B-2, 3-4AB, 7-8

R. (3) If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Let Israel wait for the LORD,
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?

Alleluia LK 11:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who hear the word of God
and observe it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”