"Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."
Constance L. Schroeder, 2011, all rights reserved
"Jesus is coming!!! Jesus is coming!" Martha whisks through the house making things ready for Jesus. "There is so much to do! Mary, none of your daydreaming today, come and help me make the preparations. His room needs to be just right. And the food! Heavens, it will take hours to prepare. We must make that special dish he is so fond of. COME ON!" And Martha huffs out of the room. She is a spare woman. Someone who believes that work always comes first. She isn't without feeling of course, she does the things she does out of love, she serves with a full heart. But the work is never done, there is always more to do, and she gets so exasperated with her sister Mary.
To be honest, sometimes I think Martha gets a bit of a bum rap. She clearly loves Jesus, and wants the very best for him. She has service as number one on her priorities. And there is much to do! Sometimes, we the church become a bit Martha like, busy with service, filling every moment of our days with doing for others. After all there is so much to do! Jesus is there, in the homeless man with empty eyes and an empty belly. He needs to be fed. The Christ is there in the widow who lives on a pittance, just trying to get by. Our Beloved is there, lying in a hospital bed, alone and ill; sitting in a prison cell, where there is no justice; dying in the street, his blood spilled at the hands of someone whose mind has been lost to the demons pursuing him; in the refugee camps, where children are raped and violence and deprivation are a way of life. There is so much to do, and we never seem to have enough resources or help to meet the needs. We become overwhelmed and at times, resentful, spending all that we have to meet the needs of the world around us, while we forget the needs within our souls, the hunger we have for a relationship with the One who calls to us.
Perhaps Mary doesn't carry her share. Perhaps she is a bit lazy, and Martha gets frustrated with her at times. Perhaps not. Perhaps Mary just puts first things first. When we listen first, take the time to let Jesus words fill our hearts, grace arrives. Worry slips away. Jesus is here and being willing to just "be", and let the worlds cries fall to the background is a choice we make. Service is such an important part of our lives, but our first priority is to rest in our Beloved's presence, to be with him and to be still for a time.
In that stillness we find grace for our days and the time flows, and resources we never could have imagined appear to fill the needs. Out of the silence and listening, the miracle appears. Jesus knew this. The needs of people were often overwhelming and real. He would slip away to the mountain to pray. His gentle rebuke toward Martha, was in reality an invitation. "Come and sit Martha, come and rest from your toils. We will help you to finish things when the time comes. You are not alone. We are here with you."
How loved we are.
