Mary and Martha Revisited

1) Today’s readings lead me to ask three questions as a disciple
   a) Do we recognize whom we are serving?
   b) Why do we serve?
   c) What is our first priority as disciples?
2) In our culture, technology allows us to screen the various encounters we may have during a day.
   a) With the aid of caller id, answering machines, receptionists, and security cameras, we can make judgments about an encounter and choose whether or not we want to have it.
   b) Understandably, we assume we know what an encounter may bring based on previous experience
      i) Making such judgments is not necessarily a bad thing, but we must be careful that we do not therefore miss an opportunity to bless someone by being present to them when they need us
      ii) Abraham did not have luxury of screening his encounters as we do today, but perhaps that was a blessing in his case.
   c) When his mysterious guests arrived, Abraham was sitting in the entrance to his tent (perhaps enjoying a breeze in the shade on a hot day)
      i) he put aside his own comfort and “he waited on them”
      ii) great effort in serving the strangers, a meal made with “fine flour”, a “tender, choice steer”, and “curds and milk”
      iii) Even at this point in the passage it is not apparent to us or to Abraham who these strangers are
      iv) Context is always important. From the second part of this chapter which you can read in Chapter 18 of Genesis, we know that one of visitors is the Lord, and the others are angels who enact judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah.
   d) Let us couple Abraham’s example with the teachings of our Lord and the Apostle Paul:
      i) Matthew 25: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
      ii) Colossians 3: “do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others”
   e) In the light of Christian revelation, the answer to the question, “Do we know whom we are serving?” is clear:
      i) regardless of whom we encounter we are serving the LORD;
      ii) therefore, every encounter is an opportunity to receive the Lord as our guest and an opportunity to present the Lord to another and be Christ for another
3) Why do we serve?
   a) Turning back to our second reading from Colossians, we find the very reason we seek to serve and suffer anything on behalf of or for the sake of anyone in the name of Christ
      i) The Apostle Paul states: “in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, the church, to bring to completion for you the word of God”
   b) With Saint Paul, we rejoice in our suffering because we know and believe that the Christian revelation is the Truth, not just one truth among many equally valid truths
   c) we desire to see more and more people enter the Church because we know and believe that Christ is not just any man
      i) The son promised to Abraham in today’s first reading was just the beginning of the plan of salvation, a foreshadowing
      ii) Jesus is the true SON, the completion of that promise for the salvation of the whole human race, not just the people of Israel
   d) as Paul says, that which was hidden is now revealed for us.
      i) It is a mystery that is revealed not only FOR us and TO us, but by our participation in the Church and the sacraments, that salvation, our Lord and God, now dwells IN us!
   e) And that indwelling is our hope of glory!
      i) A hope which compelled Saint Paul and compels us to “proclaim Him, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present EVERYONE perfect in Christ” (NOT just ourselves)
      ii) WHAT A MOTIVATION we have!
4) Proper motivation and enthusiasm come from the regular practice of our first and foremost priority as disciples of Christ
5) So, THIRDLY, What is that priority?
   a) In today’s Gospel, we first meet Martha, who welcomed Jesus into her home and began serving, preparing a meal and waiting at table
   b) Then we are introduced to her sister Mary “who (taking the posture of a disciple) sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak”
   c) It appears that Martha, as a good Jewish woman, is doing exactly what her Father Abraham had done in our first reading; and strangely, the Lord rebukes her.
   d) Jesus’ gentle rebuke to Martha reminds us of two things:
      i) that our service must first be formed with the proper motivations
      ii) that we risk missing the divine in the everyday demands of life
   e) If we contrast Martha’s behavior to that of Abraham we will notice that while Abraham is concerned only for the well-being of his guests, Martha speaks only of herself: “Tell her to help me,” she says
      i) I want to avoid reading too much into Martha’s motivations, but as we ought to do when reading scripture, I allowed it to provoke a question within me: What might my motivations be in the same situation?
         (1) Desire for notoriety, of having a famous prophet in my home?
         (2) Pride of being an excellent host a good chef, of being complimented for my service?
      ii) In my meditation I also wondered, “How many of us have embarked upon a project without fully estimating the cost and then sought to be bailed out like Martha?” Crying to God and demanding help.
   f) How often do our days and weeks go by with school, with work, with family, housework, and activities and we wonder, “Where did that day go? Where did that week go?”
      i) We find ourselves at Church on Sunday and we may discover it is the only hour of the week we spend in the presence of God.
         (1) Even while we are here our minds may be anxious about many things
         (2) With all that is going on, it’s not difficult to be distracted at mass – I have found myself planning the day, preparing for an event, thinking about work; and I have to bring myself back to what I am to be doing here, sitting at the feet of Jesus
      ii) At times like these we must listen to the words of Jesus again, but let us substitute our own names for Martha’s name:
         (1) “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
         (2) (Pause)
         (3) “GREGORY, GREGORY, you are anxious and worried about many things.
         (4) There is need of only one thing.”
   g) When Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen the better part (portion) he is telling all of us, that the first and best priority in our lives is a real and intimate relationship with God.
      i) Jesus is the really the host in Martha’s house – recall how in Matthew 20 he tells us that he came “not to be served, but to serve"
      ii) Remember our first question: DO WE RECOGNIZE WHOM WE ARE SERVING? WHO IS IN OUR PRESENCE?
         (1) Ultimately, to be a disciple we must be both Mary and Martha, but in the right order
         (2) First, with Mary, we sit at the feet our Lord, the Master Servant
         (3) We listen, learn, worship, and prepare
         (4) Properly prepared, we then serve in His presence with the proper motivations, so that others may take their turn at his feet
      iii) Martha has an opportunity here: Her service allows Mary to rest at the feet of Jesus.
      iv) When we serve, do we see that same opportunity?
         (1) When we agree to be greeters at mass, or lectors, cantors, and extraordinary ministers; when children become altar servers and when parents volunteer to work with Children’s Liturgy;
         (2) when we cook a meal for someone, or care for the needs of other,
         (3) we do so because we have spent time at the feet of Christ and we desire to allow and enable others to sit His feet, that they may have rest and fellowship with God and others.
6) Christians!
   a) Let us recognize whom we serve
   b) Remember why we serve
   c) And may we always choose the better part