July 29, 2009
Memorial of St. Martha
Whenever Moses entered the presence of the LORD to converse with him, he removed the veil until he came out again. On coming out, he would tell the Israelites all that had been commanded. Then the Israelites would see that the skin of Moses' face was radiant; so he would again put the veil over his face until he went in to converse with the LORD. Exodus 34:34-35
The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her." Luke 10:41-42
Piety
For You alone my soul waits in silence;
My hope is from the Beloved.
Enfolding me with strength and
Steadfast love,
My faith shall remain firm.
In the Silence rests my freedom and
My guidance;
You are the Heart of my heart,
My refuge is in the Silence.
(From Psalm 62 – from Nan Merrill, Psalms for Praying (Continuum, 1999)
Study
Mary has chosen the better part. We are celebrating the Feast of St. Martha and her sister is portrayed at choosing the better part.
Direct encounter with the Lord is what is classified as the better part by Jesus. Moses also shared in this better part helping to bring the Lord’s Word to those around him.
Better than what? From the context of this story, it appears that Mary’s posture is better than action. However, the qualification is that Martha’s action is not informed by her spirituality. Action – doing good – is good but it is not better than being attentive to the Word of God.
If this is the better part, is there a still “best” part? In a talk on contemplative prayer, Fr. Thomas Keating discusses this encounter Jesus has with the sisters of Bethany. Fr. Keating goes beyond seeing Mary choosing the “better” part. He says there remains a “best part” in which the action of hospitality and the contemplative posture are merged. Keating remarks: “When Jesus said ‘Mary has chosen the better part’ was he not inviting Mary to pursue the best part? Thus he was encouraging her to still greater self-surrender and trust.”
To attain this best part, Mary and Martha may need to combined both predispositions and engage in action that is inspired by the contemplative reflection on the Word of God.
Martha and Mary face the test when Lazarus dies. Jesus delays his trip to Bethany and by the time he is arriving, Lazarus has been dead for days. As he strides into the village like the Prodigal Son returning, Martha went out to meet him like the father welcoming his son home.
Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. (But) even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise." Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day." John 11:21-24
Their faith informs them that their brother will be raised in the next life. Jesus makes that faith pay off early with the resurrection of the brother. “Your brother will rise” is no longer a statement about the distant future but a pending eventuality.
Action
How can we work to choose the better part or the best part? How can the witness of St. Martha help us to rise above our basic self-centered nature that seeks to fulfill our personal happiness and instead fulfill the happiness of others?
