Homily for July 29th, 2015: Luke 10:38-42.
It seems terribly unfair, doesn't it? Even a child can see that it is
not right to sit making pleasant conversation with a guest while leaving your
sister all alone in the kitchen. Before tackling this difficulty it is worth
noting that this is one of many instances in the gospels which show Jesus
rejecting the second-class status of women in his society. In his day women
were supposed to stay out of sight and appear only to wait on the men.
The story immediately follows Jesus= parable of the Good Samaritan. In
that story Jesus contrasts the behavior of two members of the Jewish clergy, a
priest and a Levite, with the behavior of a despised outsider, the Samaritan.
Though he lacked the knowledge of God=s law available to the priest and the
Levite, the Samaritan fulfilled the law=s spirit better than the legal
experts. That parable shows the futility of a religion which has no
consequences in daily life.
Today=s story of Mary and Martha turns that
lesson around. It shows the futility of active service which, because it is not
based on attentive listening to God=s word, and nourished by such
listening, becomes mere busyness. When Jesus says to Martha, AYou are anxious and worried about
many things,@ he is not criticizing her for
performing the duties of hospitality, but for doing so without first attending
to his word.
This story does not ask us to choose
between being a Mary or a Martha. The true disciple of Jesus must be both. Mark=s gospel tells us that when Jesus called
his twelve apostles, he called them for a dual purpose: Ato be with him, and to be sent out to
proclaim the message@ (Mk 3:14). Both are important. If we ask, however,
which has priority C the relationship or the work C then the answer is clear. Our
relationship with the Lord must come first. If we are not willing to spend time
with him, sitting at his feet like Mary of Bethany and listening to his words,
then all our efforts to do his work are just spinning our wheels. Luke gives us
this story to help us see that being with the Lord and listening to his word
must be the basis of all we do for him.
To people without faith, sitting at
the Lord=s feet and listening to his words
seems a waste of time. We who live by faith, however, know that the Lord loves
to have us waste our time on him. Doing so is the best thing we can do with our
time. It is the Abetter part@, as Jesus calls it in today=s gospel, which will not be taken
from us. Spending time with Jesus Christ, opening our hearts and minds to his words,
is the motive and source of all fruitful work for him and for others. Listening
to Jesus= words we receive strength to live,
as we shall receive also one day courage to die.
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