Word to the Wise
Tuesday, October 9, 2007 - Twenty-seventh Tuesday in Ordinary Time
[Jonah 3:1-10 and Luke 10:38-42]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.
Oh my! This particular incident has been allegorized up one side and down the other, especially by folks who are intent on proving the "superiority" of one form of religious life over another: Active v. Contemplative. It has nothing to do with such a distnction. It does come in the wake of the parable of the Good Samaritan, however, and that might lend a clue. That parable aims at the relationship to neighbor. This story aims at the relationship to the Lord. Both relationships were involved in the question asked initially by the lawyer since Jesus enabled him to see what the two greatest commandments are: love of God and love of neighbor. Jesus' reply to Martha is not harsh but it IS clear. Sitting at the Lord's feet (the position of a disciple) and listening to his word is the first step of discipleship. Then one can get involved in all the efforts of discipleship. In short, one must BECOME a disciple first. Fr. Damian Byrne, OP, former Master of the Order of Preachers, once wrote, "It is ironic that we can become so involved in doing the work of the Lord that we forget the Lord of the work." I think that sums up the Martha/Mary story pretty well. AMEN
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