Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

Luke 10:38-42

Saint Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians has that notorious line, “wives, be subject to your husbands…” and this is considered so controversial that when we read that passage on Sunday, we are allowed to skip over that part.  We don’t want to get wives really mad at Saint Paul.  But the passage we just read is equally disturbing to my wife, at least, who has no problem being subject to me, because I always tell her that whatever she wants, that's fine with me.  But she is very much on Martha’s side.  She knows what it is like to have a crowd in the other room while she cleans up the dishes.  She knows what it is like to hear laughing conversation while she puts the finishing touches on supper.  She knows what it is like to launder all the bedding after we have overnight guests.  She is totally on Martha’s side.  

Sometimes we get the idea that Mary is kind of lazy, avoiding work, while Martha is sweating in the kitchen.  In those days Mary would have been entirely out of place.  When we hear that she is sitting at Jesus' feet, that means that she is taking the place of a disciple, something a woman would never do.  And yet Jesus does not condemn her, rather, he praises her.  So certainly this passage shows that Jesus is very much more open to women than most of his contemporaries.  But still, what about Martha?  It seems that  Jesus is condemning her for worrying about the work she has to do to feed the disciples.  Think of it, 13 dinner guests.  I don’t think Jesus called ahead.  

Martha and Mary both loved Jesus..  IF you remember the story of Lazarus, it was obvious.  And we have that passage where Mary washed Jesus’ feet with her vial of holy oil.  We also remember the story in Luke, where Martha welcomed Jesus into their home.  And yet, Jesus, who undoubtedly loves them both, as well as their brother, Lazarus, seems to be rebuking Martha.

So what is going on?  Martha is trying to do things for Jesus;  Mary is trying to open herself up to what Jesus offers.  That’s the difference.  Martha is well-meaning and the more she can do for him, the better she feels.  Mary recognizes that whatever you do for Jesus, what  he does for you is infinitely greater.  And we should learn an important lesson here.

I think all Catholics who take their faith seriously go through a stage where they feel that their service to the Church in some sense serves Jesus -- and they are right.  CCD teachers, altar servers, lectors, ushers -- and there are so many ways we can serve Jesus, and that is all wonderful.  Our church could not exist without all the Martha’s we have.  Knights of Columbus, members of the Saint Joseph society or the saint Mary’s guild, people in the parish council, people who make the “food for the soul” a reality.  Martha’s everywhere!   Doing wonderful things for Jesus -- and for their fellow man.  But Mary has discovered that receiving what Jesus has to give is even better.  She is sitting at his feet, listening to his teaching; she is basking in his love.  

Jesus never condemns Martha; right there in the acts of the apostles we learn that the early church was very Martha.  The first deacons were appointed because someone needed to distribute the food fairly.  That’s a Martha thing.  And you can get pretty bogged down in doing Martha things, especially when you feel that you are being religious.  All of the Marthas among us have to learn to receive what Jesus wants to give us.

That means we need to sit quietly and listen to his word.  We need to put ourselves before the Blessed Sacrament and allow him to speak to us.  We need to read our bibles and good spiritual books.  We need to pray and contemplate and meditate.  Saint Francis de Sales said, "everyone needs a half hour of prayer a day, except when we are really busy -- then we need a whole hour.”  

Jesus talks about many things which Martha is anxious about -- she wants to do everything for him as well as she can, out of love.  She wants everything to be perfect and won’t stop until it is.  She’s a mess.  But the one thing, the thing Mary knows, is that opening her heart to Jesus and all he wants to give her is the only thing that really matters, and once that connection is made, all things are possible. As Jesus said in another place, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all else will be given to you.”  This week let’s concentrate on receiving from Jesus what he wants to give us.