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| Mary Has chosen the better... |
Luke
10, 38-42
As
Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman
named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted
by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord,
don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell
her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you
are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken
away from her.”
José
Antonio Pagola
Sixteenth
Sunday in Ordinary Time ©
Nothing
more important
Luke
10: 38-42
The
episode is somewhat surprising. The disciples accompanying Jesus have left the
scene. Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, is not there. In the house of
the small town of Bethany, Jesus finds himself all alone with two women who
adopt two different attitudes to his arrival.
Martha,
who undoubtedly is the elder sister, welcomes Jesus as the housekeeper and puts
herself entirely at his service. It’s quite natural. According to the mentality
of the time, dedication to the tasks of the home was the exclusive task of
women. On the other hand. Maria, the younger sister, sits at the feet of Jesus
to listen to what he says. Her attitude is surprising for she is taking the
role proper of a “disciple” which belonged only to men.
At a certain point, Martha, absorbed by the
work and overcome by fatigue, feels left alone by her sister and misunderstood
by Jesus: “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by
myself? Tell her to help me!” Why does she not tell her sister to do the work
every woman should be doing and give up the place reserved for male disciples?
The answer of Jesus is of great importance.
Luke wrote this probably thinking of the disagreements and little conflicts
that occurred in the early communities at the time of assigning various tasks:
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one
thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is best and it will not be taken away
from her.”
At no time does Jesus criticize Martha about
her attitude of service, a fundamental task in all following of Jesus, but he
shows her not to be absorbed by her work to the point of losing her peace of
mind. Then he reminds her that hearing his Word should be a priority for
everyone, women too, and not a kind of privilege of male members.
It is urgent to understand and organize the
Christian community today, as a place where, first of all, the Gospel is
welcomed in the midst of a secular and pluralistic society of our times.
Nothing is more important, nothing more needed. We, men and women, believers
and nonbelievers, must learn to gather together in small groups to listen to
and share the message of Jesus.
This listening to the Gospel in small
“cells” can today become the “matrix” from which the fabric of our parishes in
crisis will keep being regenerated. If ordinary people know the Gospel at first
hand, enjoy it and demand it be implemented by the hierarchy, they will draw us
all after Jesus.
Translation by Vally D'Souza sj
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