CCC 2571: Abraham’s hospitality
CCC 2241: Welcome the stranger
CCC 2709-2719: Contemplation
CCC 618, 1508: Sharing in Christ’s sufferings for his Body
CCC 568, 772: “The hope of glory” in the Church and in her sacraments
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| “Christ in the House of Martha and Mary” by Tintoretto 1570-75 |
Commentary:
Commentary on Gn 18:1-10a
Abraham has already begotten Ishmael through Hagar, Sarah’s slave. We see him now encounter God (“The Lord appeared to Abraham”) in the form of a traveler with two messengers (this is revealed later). After extending them the hospitality required by custom, God tells Abraham that Sarah, his wife, will bear him a son within a year. Because Sarah has been barren and is now past child-bearing years, this prediction, ultimately fulfilled in the birth of Isaac, is miraculous.
CCC: Gn 18:1-15 706, 2571
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R. (1a) He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Commentary on Ps 15:2-3, 3-4, 5
This selection records the response of the temple representative when asked what virtues are appropriate in the eyes of God. The response lauds the person who follows the “Law,” specifically the Hebrew laws that warn against slander or false accusations. In the second strophe, it honors the person who does no violence against another. And finally, in the last strophe, we are told that the person who does not charge interest on a loan (usury) is also uplifted.
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Commentary on Col 1:24-28
“As the community at Colossae
CCC: Col 1:24 307, 618, 1508; Col 1:27 568, 772
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Gospel: Luke 10:38-42
Commentary on Lk 10:38-42
In this encounter with Martha and Mary in St. Luke’s Gospel, we see two distinct messages. First, we see the importance of the role of women and Jesus’ attitude toward them. Second we see the importance of listening to the word of God: "Mary has chosen the better part."
The selection emphasizes the importance of listening to the teachings of the Lord. While in some early texts the Lord tells Martha there is “need for only a few things,” or of one, the message is clear: Mary, in assuming the role of disciple (listening at the master’s feet) has chosen the correct or better role. Martha, concerning herself with the requirements of hospitality (old law) has chosen the lesser.
“Mystically (St. Gregory the Great, Moralia 2, 6): the two women signify two dimensions of the spiritual life. Martha signifies the active life as she busily labors to honor Christ through her work. Mary exemplifies the contemplative life as she sits attentively to listen and learn from Christ. While both activities are essential to Christian living, the latter is greater than the former. For in heaven the active life terminates, while the contemplative life reaches its perfection.”[6]
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Reflection:
As many fathers of the Church have noted, the roles of Martha and Mary, in the story of Jesus’ visit to their home, represent two aspects of Christian life that frequently war with one another. In the story, Martha represents the busy physical dimension of our lives. She scurries about doing what is required of her to fulfill her duty to the Lord and his guests. Her mindset can be likened to St. James who tells us:
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well," but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:13-17)
Here was Mary at the feet of Jesus. As St. Augustine says: “Martha was getting annoyed, Mary was feasting; the former coping with many things, the latter concentrating on one.” (Sermon 103) And Mary, for her part, has demonstrated St. Paul’s attitude as he addressed the Galatians:
“[A] person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” (Galatians 2:16)
As we have been taught, neither faith nor works can stand on their own without the other. Each is necessary as the story of Martha and Mary attests. If Martha had been alone, who would have sat at the Lord’s feet to hear the word of God poured out? And if Mary had been alone, who would have given gifts of hospitality to the Son of God?
For us, acts and faith must go hand in glove. As in many things, balance is the key. Finding time to sit at the Lord’s feet for many of us is difficult. In an age where everything is mobile, and the pace of life is break-neck, we find it difficult to sit and contemplate the incredible love God shows us in his Son. We must also act upon the impulses of our faith, so that others will see what we do and give glory to God, without whose help we are powerless.
Today we envision ourselves in the place of these two sisters, and ask the Lord to allow us the grace to fill each of their roles in the right proportions, balancing our desire to recline with Christ and our need to walk with him.
Pax
In other years on this date: Optional Memorial for Saint Lawrence Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church.
[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture used today is “Christ in the House of Martha and Mary” by Tintoretto 1570-75.
[5] See NAB footnote on Colossians 1:24-28.
[6] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p. 129.
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