BEING WITH AND DOING FOR…
Genesis 18:1-10a; Colossians 1:24-28; Luke 10:38-42
One hears parents complain: “I slog from morning till night to give my kids the best. They don’t care. for whom am I working if not for them?” Children also complain: “Dad and Mum never spend time with me.” A dilemma! To be with people or to do things for them?
This dilemma finds an echo in today’s Gospel story. Martha and Mary both respond to Jesus’ presence—one by serving him, the other by sitting with him. Both responses are good yet seem to contradict each other.
It’s not a question of work vs prayer. To understand the story, it is necessary to look at its context. Today’s incident comes after the parable of the Good Samaritan, which Jesus concludes with the words: “Go and do likewise.” The passage that follows today’s pericope is about prayer. In between we have today’s real-life situation: Martha serves Jesus and Mary simply sits with him. Who is neighbour to Jesus?
Reginald Fuller, a biblical scholar, suggests that the Martha-Mary story is a corrective to the activism in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus’ command “Go and do likewise” is meaningful only when it flows from hearing the word/prayer. For Martha’s service to be a true expression of love of neighbour, it would need to flow out of being with Jesus.
Further, it’s about discerning what a person needs in a particular situation and at a given moment. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to his passion and death. His greatest need is not “many things” but an empathetic-silent presence. That is what Mary gives him.
Finally, it’s about balance! Some of us are like Martha and some like Mary. We need to combine the two: without sitting and listening—to God and people—our doing leads to anxiety and anger; without doing, our faith and our love are empty, our being is passive.
Like Martha, we could get distracted by many things. We need to spend time with people. This will help us to discern what they want and need, and then we can meet that need.
Will my love of neighbour flow from my being with the Lord? Will I discern a person’s need and then meet that need? Will I strike a balance between being with people and doing things for them?
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