Food for thought!

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Luke 10:38-42

As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. 39 She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. 40 But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. "Master, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand." 41 The Master said, "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. 42 One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it--it's the main course, and won't be taken from her."

Food for thought!

Yesterday Jesus commended us to move from Sunday to Monday; from words to action; from meditation to practice. Today, he sends us back from action to meditation, from action to inaction. Why this apparent contradiction? Well, Christian life, and indeed all life, lives on two rails: meditation and practice, Mary and Martha. We need the two in order to lead a balanced life. 

In other words, we should be both Mary and Martha. We have a part of us that is like Mary that wants to sit down for prayer and meditation and reflection. And another part of us that is always busy, always dynamic, always in action, always on the move. This is normal. We should never feel guilty for having been at Church, or having spent time at a prayer meeting, or having spent some of our recreation time reading the Bible. 

This said, we do sometimes feel a clash in us or a fight within us, whereby whenever we sit for Jesus we feel guilty, as if we are wasting time. We sometimes feel guilty when we don't find time for prayer because of our busy schedule at work, at home. We should both pray and play. That is why Mary and Martha are sisters, not adversaries. In other words, the two are not supposed to be rivals nor enemies but sisters and friends.

A balanced life is lived with both Mary and Martha together, in the same house, in the same body. We cannot all be Martha all day and all days. We cannot all be Mary all day and all days. We need to pray but also to work. We need prayers but also workers. A good home is a place where Marthas and Marys live in peace and harmony. It is this kind of home that Jesus visits.

Both Mary and Martha are serving God. God needs his Marys and his Marthas. That's why He made them as sisters. "A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word Jesus said." So as you go around doing your daily work, pray and contemplate what you are doing; as Martha in your gets agitated, let the Mary in you calm you. Let the dynamo and the peace in you leave in harmony. As your Martha runs around the house, let your Mary hang on every word Jesus said.