Sunday Readings: Genesis 18.1-10; Colossians 1.24-28; Luke 10.38-42
Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him to her home. She had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teachings. Martha, who was busy with all the details of hospitality, came to Jesus and said, “Lord, is it of no concern to you that my sister has left me all alone to serve? Tell her to help me.” Jesus answered, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and upset about many things; one thing only is necessary. Mary has chosen the better portion, and she shall not be deprived of it” (Luke 10.38-42).
In Sunday’s gospel Mary seats herself at Jesus’ feet to listen to his teachings and Martha readies hospitality. These two actions— listening to Jesus’ words and serving a meal—are the same actions that take place in the liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the eucharist at every parish Mass. Perhaps Martha and Mary represent two forms of ministries evolving in the Christian community at the time Luke wrote—preaching the good news and gathering the community to break bread. The gospel refers to Jesus not by name but by post-Easter title—Lord. Luke writes in the mid-80s of the first century, over 50 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Many women today value Sunday’s gospel because it is one of the few stories about women. Mary is listening to Jesus. However, sermons often erase the importance of Mary and Martha as named individuals and reduce them to types. Martha represents the active life, Mary the contemplative. Martha stands for doing but not overdoing, Mary for being. Martha represents works; Mary, faith.
The conflicts in the Martha and Mary story and in Acts suggest that official ministries are evolving in this community of the A.D. 80s. Seemingly, by the time Luke writes, the position of women in the Christian communities has become controversial. Although Sunday’s gospel shows Martha offering table hospitality as Christians do at Eucharist and Mary listening to the Word, this scene effectively silences the ministries of both women. Jesus tells Martha to give up the ministry of serving her table and gathering her house church, and join her sister in preferring the better part—silent listening to Jesus. Perhaps their ministries of word and table made Martha and Mary too memorable in the life of the early Christian community to forget. Perhaps they were so important that Luke uses the voice of Jesus’ authority to put women in their place, the same subordinate position women work to overcome today.