Mary And Martha Challenges Us To Let Love Of God Be At The Root Of All We Do
Fr Dexter Brereton, CSSp ThM STL
I have always regretted not taking sufficient time to “sit at the Lord’s feet and listen to him” while living in the parish of Toco, in rural northeast Trinidad. Beautiful, serene, and at the seaside, much of this beauty passed me by unnoticed, as my mind and my day were often cluttered with the concerns and annoyances of the daily life of a parish priest. Yet, once in a while I was able to find my “inner Mary”, sit before the broad expanse of ocean and bask in the vastness and calm of the living God.
In the tradition of the Church, the story of Martha and Mary has been interpreted with Martha and Mary being understood as symbols of the “active” and “contemplative” life respectively; in other words, the “ministerial, action-oriented” side of Christianity versus the “interior, reflective” side of Christian life. I do not believe that these two styles of Christian life should be seen as somehow “in opposition” to each other, but as integral and necessary to our existence as disciples. Love requires expression. Christianity has never been a purely “cerebral” or “spiritual” faith. Through the incarnational principle, we believe that all of life and all of creation has been somehow imbued with the divine presence and therefore it is fitting and even spiritually beneficial that we should get involved in human activities aimed at making the world a better place. On the other hand, it is essential to remember that the love of God is the source and end of all human endeavour. Work, even good work, has no value unless it is rooted in the love of God. This is what turns Christian ministry from a form of sterile and frustrating activism to an experience of grace.
Liberation theologians have popularized the word ‘praxis’ in Christian life. This word ‘praxis’ illustrates the fact that Christian activity always falls between the two poles of action and contemplation. Our ‘praxis’, our ministry, is the outflow of our life of prayer and inner communion with God, and this ministry in turn, shapes our prayer and reflection.
Martha is also a powerful reminder of the way “hospitality” is often misunderstood. Here she is busy doing all that she can to ensure her guests feel at ease and welcome in her house. Behind this welcoming activity however lurks the tendency to ‘run away’ from the heart-to-heart encounter which is at the heart of hospitality. She is perhaps, at some level, driven by the anxiety to seem good and acceptable in the eyes of others. In the teaching of the spiritual master, Henri Nouwen, hospitality is about creating a welcoming, ‘empty’ space for the other, a space where the one we welcome can be at home and discover themselves as blessed, as gifted. We allow this discovery of self through our grateful, receptive presence to our guest.
On a societal level, we can understand leadership itself as a kind of “hospitality.” Leadership for our Caribbean people means creating a welcoming space, creating room so that our people can experience themselves as blessed and gifted. Some years ago, I had an interview with a parish leader who was a dedicated woman, in love with the Lord. Unfortunately, this woman who exercised leadership in the parish community did not see those she led as capable of having their own ideas or of making a useful contribution. She was working “for” her people and not “with” them. Like Martha, she was distracted with all the serving instead of doing the first thing, sitting at the feet of those she served and listening to them. Her leadership then, ultimately became paternalistic and not collaborative.
Loving and gracious God, you empty our loneliness as you step into our houses, as you enter our hearts and our lives. May we find the grace to sit and your feet and drink deeply of the stream of your grace and your delight. May we not become distracted in the effort to prove ourselves worthy of your love. We pray that we will always have the wisdom like Mary to ‘choose the better part.’
Amen.
