“Jesus’ Definition of a Balanced Life” by Colleen O’Sullivan

“Jesus’ Definition of a Balanced Life” by Colleen O’Sullivan

Memorial of Saint Martha

God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. (1 John 4:16bc)

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth.  (Psalm 34:2)

“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

Lord, help us to show less concern for the details of running our lives and more interest in loving and listening to those around us.

Study

Johannes Vermeer, Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (1654-1656), National Galleries of Scotland, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

The first Christmas after my mom died, we had a small dinner with family and a few close friends.  My nephew gave a toast, with all the usual Christmas wishes, followed by “and to Grandma, who was always so funny and never quite knew why.”  We all laughed.  I remember flashing back to a Sunday when I had gone to Mass with my mother at her parish.  The Gospel was the same as today.  As we were walking toward the car, Mom said, “I think Jesus got it all wrong, don’t you?  Why are you laughing?  I think we should all be like Martha.”  I couldn’t believe anyone would have the audacity to know better than Jesus about anything, hence the laughter.  And my mother was definitely the quintessential Martha, always busy cooking and cleaning, leaving little time for listening. 

I guess we’d all like Jesus to put his stamp of approval on the particular way each of us goes about life.  Life is a balancing act between doing and being.  Someone has to be the organizer, the one who keeps the family calendar, drives the kids to their various activities, puts meals on the table, and makes sure that someone sets the table ahead of time when company is coming.   I don’t think Jesus was faulting Martha for doing things that she did.  Our lives would fall apart without some work behind the scenes to keep them going smoothly.

But in this story, Martha doesn’t just do her thing; she also complains to Jesus about her sister Mary.  I’m doing all the work, Lord.  She’s not doing anything.  Tell her to start doing her share.  Jesus, however, doesn’t criticize Mary.  Jesus knows that when life is said and done, we won’t remember or care about the housework, the endless grass cutting, the car maintenance, or the cooking; we’ll be far more likely to remember the times we sat with someone who heard what we were saying.  We’ll savor the memories of times we listened with all our hearts to what a friend was telling us. 

Jesus was far from oblivious to the chaos and threats swirling round him.  He knew he wasn’t likely to live to old age.  So why not spend the time talking about the important things?  There’s never been a dust bunny or a dirty dish lodged in my heart. However, there have been times of sharing with family and friends that have a precious place there.  Jesus loved Martha.  He was asking his friend to put things into perspective.

Action

When you are praying today, give some thought to how you live your life.  No one dreams of an epitaph such as “he always changed the oil on time” or “she worked so hard at her job that we seldom ever saw her.”  Share with Jesus how you’d like people to remember you when all is said and done.  Ask Jesus to help you if your priorities need shifting.  We all hope Jesus will say we’ve chosen the better part in the end.

Image credit:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Johannes_(Jan)_Vermeer_-_Christ_in_the_House_of_Martha_and_Mary_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg