Word to the Wise
Sunday, July 17, 2022 - 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C
[Gen 18:1-10a; Col 1:24-28; Luke 10:38-42]Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Matha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." The Lord said to her in reply, "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." [Luke]
The story of Martha and Mary has sparked a lot of discussion and debate for centuries! In the Middle East, hospitality is what one might call, in today's parlance, a "core value." Notice Abraham's hospitality in the first scripture which results in a divine promise. The Letter to the Hebrews calls attention to this: "Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels!" [Heb. 13:2] One might wonder what Martha and Mary discussed after Jesus left!!
In the Middle Ages, the debate over the relative value of particular forms of religious life - active v. contemplative - found a home in this story! St. Thomas Aquinas weighed into the argument and supported a "mixed vocation" of contemplative AND active values, thereby giving the Dominican order one of its treasured mottoes: Contemplata aliis tradere! ["Share the fruits of contemplation with others."]
Martha gets a bad press in the debate at times. Nevertheless, she does address Jesus as "Lord," which indicates faith. She is a disciple. But the story highlights where discipleship begins and has its source. A great "Master of the Order" (our Dominican head honcho in Rome), Damian Byrne OP, once wrote that it would be a terrible irony if we got so involved in the work of the Lord that we neglected the Lord of the work. The frenetic pace of modern life, especially in our American society, gives rise to the frequent complaint I hear that there never seems to be time for prayer. Sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to him speak seems to be an impossible luxury. Jesus reminds us that discipleship does not consider that a luxury but a necessity. It is a matter of priorities and a challenge to every disciple. AMEN