Reading
Luke 10:38-42
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 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!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Comment
Along the way, Jesus decides to stop at the home of Martha and Mary, sisters of his friend Lazarus. The two women show opposing attitudes, but both are important in the Church: Martha, with her active service, shows diakonìa, taking care of the Lord, present in every person in need; Mary is the exemplar of the disciple dedicated to listening to God. Worthy of note is the position taken by the latter, sitting in front of Jesus, typical of the disciple and at that time quite unusual for a woman.
The Lord does not reproach Martha for her service, but for her being "distracted"; she literally is "absorbed" (gr. periestàto) for her great service. Jesus consecrates the time of rest, dedicated to listening to him. If he does not hesitate to perform miracles and healings on the Sabbath, he at the same time brings the sacredness of the Sabbath rest into daily life. There is no activity so important that can distract us from a pause to listen to his word.
Jesus reproaches Martha for worrying and getting upset about too many things. First of all, any work of service must be carried out by us with a quiet action: with our hands, we must serve, but with our ears, we must listen to the voice of Christ.
When Jesus wants to be welcomed into our lives he does not ask us to "overdo". The apostolate, the service of Christ in our neighbor, cannot crush and cancel the indispensable space reserved for contemplation, and for the praise of God, proper nourishment, and refreshment of the soul.
The walk and the stops mark the life of Jesus, like a melody in which the pauses are as important as the notes. He exhorts us to simplify our exterior and interior life; it frees us from worries by calling us to the simplicity and joy of discipleship, which is a wise balance between doing and listening, service and adoration: in this way we will do one thing without neglecting the other, fulfilling "justice and love of God "(Lk 11:42).
Prayer
O Lord, we adore you, listening sitting at your feet. May your word feed in us contemplative love and ardor for the apostolic life; without ever losing attention to your presence. Amen.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
