Being Martha

Today's Gospel reading speaks to the modern, lay, Catholic woman loudly and clearly: we can all be Marthas. I hear Jesus on a regular basis calling me, "Julian, Julian, you are anxious about many things." Yep, Lord, that's true. Right now I have three friends who are immensely suffering, three family members who are justifiably depressed, a family friend who is dying, papers to grade, lessons to plan, seminars to attend, people to visit, students to meet with and counsel, emails to respond to, etc. Because these things all have to do with serving Christ in those who are in need of me, I tend to want to believe that what Martha was doing was actually right - serving Jesus' immediate needs with hospitality and attentiveness.

But even though these things need to get done and are truly ways that I need to serve Christ (since He has entrusted them to me), He still responds to me as He did to Martha: "There is only need of one thing." That one thing is to recollect myself in the presence of Christ in silence, if only for a few minutes. I'm sure that Mary didn't just sit put the whole time Jesus was visiting. No Jewish woman would have been able to refrain from cooking and cleaning when a guest was over. But she did pause to be in His presence. The list of things to do only gains meaning if it's done with our gaze fixed on Christ.

We modern, working women need to be conscientious about doing the same thing. That way our list does not become things to do, but instead, things to do with joy for the One we love.