The story of Jesus sitting in the home of Mary and Martha (Luke 10), although brief, speaks to the attentive soul some words worth hearing, pondering, and putting into practice. Indeed, the main point of the story is being attentive to Christ, God’s Word speaking to you—not out of the past, but here and now, in the depths of your soul. Be attentive, listen, rather than “be anxious and busy about many things.” That is the main point of the story.
As with any passage in Scripture read at Mass, or read in the quiet of your home, there are multiple ways to read and to understand. First, one needs to ask and wonder, “What did the author (here, St. Luke) intend to communicate in this passage of his Gospel?” To answer this, one must read attentively, and perhaps with some good scriptural aids, and at least for scholars and clergy, reading the text in the original Greek. Second, one should have some idea of how this story has been interpreted and applied over the centuries. Third, one should consider some of the interpretations presently being offered. Because most of our people lack the time, background, or perhaps interest to read a text in these ways, it is the duty of your pastor to do so. Why? What is the goal? What matters is not scriptural study for its own sake, but finding in the passages read at Mass sufficient food with which to strengthen and encourage your spiritual life—that is, your love life with Christ, your journey into the heart of God. I offer here a few remarks, to be developed in the homilies on the week-end of July 16-17.
Taking these three approaches to the text in reverse order: I have heard some fanciful and unimpressive interpretations of this passage from various clergy in my life. The most foolish ones today try to elevate Martha as the more noble soul, because she is cooking and serving food, whereas Mary is just sitting on her tail. This interpretation arises from one of the dominant diseases of modernity: activism or busybody-ness without attending to God. Note that in the story, neither the evangelist nor Jesus praises Martha, yet some of our clergy do. Why? Because they may be like her: “busy and anxious about many things.” To such do-gooders with all of their programs and plans, Jesus says, “One thing is needful,” and that one thing is placing oneself under Christ and listening to him speak. However, let’s consider:
The story of Mary and Martha took on a life of its own in the Middle Ages—partly fanciful, perhaps, but suggestive and enriching, at least for the many thousands of religious and clergy in the Church during those centuries. Martha became a symbol for the active life, for being engaged in the everyday world, such as having a family and providing a livelihood for the family, and taking care of them. Mary became a symbol of contemplative life, of renouncing wealth and family to enter cloisters, where one could seek God in study and prayer. There is some truth here, but neither St. Luke nor Jesus sought to discredit those who live by looking after their needs and that of their families. We know that all of the Apostles were themselves married, with the exception of Paul. As presented by Luke, the problem with Martha was twofold: she was anxious and troubled; and unlike her sister, she was not sitting at the feet of Christ and LISTENING to his WORD. Martha needed to become more like Mary. On the other hand, the brilliant medieval mystic, Meister Eckhart, drew a profound lesson from this story, one which has spoken to me over the years: “Mary had to become Martha, before she could be be Mary.” You may be puzzled by this mystic’s meaning, and I will share a few words about it. Suffice it to note: contemplation without charity is empty, misleading, and dangerous.
Finally, St. Luke’s intention in the story: You and I, as disciples of Christ, must place first things first, and sit at the LORD’s feet and listen to him. In other words, you must ATTEND to the presence of the living God in your soul. So many Christians, yet so few who listen to Christ.
