Inside each of us is a Martha and a Mary
This weekend Sr. Rosemarie Greco, DW, will give the Homily at the Milton Congregational Church in Litchfield, CT.
Based on the Gospel of Luke 10:38-42, by revisiting the story of Martha and Mary, Sister speaks about hospitality and labor to usher in the Labor Day weekend.
The text below is her Homily revised for print.
This is a weekend of barbeques, picnics, and light-hearted gatherings for many of us. It's Labor day weekend- a weekend when we celebrate Labor and try not to do our usual labor!
Since 1894, this national holiday is a weekend that celebrates the achievements of workers who contributed to the growth of our country, the dignity of laborers, and the contribution of all to our society.
While we celebrate labor, this weekend is also a time for us to be hospitable to each other and to friends and family who gather with us. In one way, our gathering can signify the hospitality of God, who continually welcomes all of us no matter our life situations.
The Gospel reading draws our attention to hospitality along with some difficult human interactions. We are familiar with this story's tension between Martha and her sister Mary.
So often, when this story is explained, we are told there is jealousy on the part of one. Martha is dutifully preparing a meal to be hospitable to Jesus – and Mary, who listens to Jesus, considers this her way of being hospitable.
Martha is serving in a role known as a deacon in the early church. She is serving others. She is doing just what Jesus does: feeding people and caring for their needs. We may wonder, why is Jesus criticizing her for her work? The criticism is especially painful in that it comes from Jesus. The story is familiar: Martha is anxious and worried as she prepares the meal. She says, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?" Maybe she is doing more than is needed, piling on more and more work for herself and becoming frustrated and even angry that her sister is not helping.
Jesus, on the other hand, does not seem to support Martha. He points out that she is busy with many things- not leaving time for her to do exactly what Mary is doing – simply sitting and listening to their guest, Jesus.
This presentation of conflict and dualism is problematic because it sets a wedge between contemplation and ministry, reflection and action, and being and doing.
I believe we all experience this pull at times.
Inside each of us is a Martha and a Mary.
A Latin phrase speaks to this, and it comes to us from the Benedictine monastic community around the year 500. That phrase is "ora et labora" – prayer and work. Many of us know the Benedictine community's motto as the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem. The challenge and invitation to live a spiritual life is the ability to balance the two. Prayer gives power to our work and sanctifies what we do.
When Jesus says that Martha is worried over many things, does he see her as frazzled and distracted? Has she gone overboard in her service? Does she need to keep it simple? (Think of Julia Child – when we watched her cook, everything seemed so simple – Bon Appetit!!)
True hospitality attends to the guest and the needs of the guest. Guests need food, shelter, and welcome. There are many ways to provide for these needs. Martha and Mary give us a snapshot of each of these ways.
Prayer, work/contemplation, and labor are expressions of hospitality – person-to-person hospitality. As I thought of hospitality, I realized that we now speak of the "Hospitality industry." The personal human touch has become industrialized. As an industry, it tries to "do as much as it can to meet the customer's desires" to get repeat business. Many aspects of hospitality in hotels and resorts have become computerized. One owner of a hotel chain, Bill Marriott, a Mormon, says this about hospitality, "It is taking care of people, making them feel good when away from home, making them feel appreciated and recognizing them. You can't do that with a computer. You can only do that with personal contact." Hospitality is a calling, not a career or a job.
When we reflect on Martha and Mary, we do not need to stereotype them as total opposites. We are them on our journey to grow in the spiritual life. We are called to prayer and action, contemplation and ministry. When infused with prayer, our service to the community reveals God's hospitality to the people.
In worship, we experience the hospitality of God, who offers us the bread and wine that gives strength and endurance to our labors, hospitality, and Christian lives.
Hospitality is often considered a mark of kindness among people. In recent years, we are beginning to consider our Earth as a living thing. God's hospitality is very truly shown to us through the Earth that God created for us. We might even say that the Earth is hospitable to us. Our Earth, too, is alive, serving us in a way that nourishes us with food, water, and air. As such, Earth labors for us, providing for our many needs.
Earth also listens to us, to our actions, and responds in various ways. When we do something to the Earth, it reacts positively or negatively. We may not be mindful of this when we unthinkingly perform acts that harm this gift of God. Yet, the Bible reminds us just how special this gift of God is. When in the very first book of the Bible, the Book of Genesis, there is our God "laboring" to call into life the whole world – for us. Now, it's in our hands to take care of it and be stewards of Earth.
As Genesis tells us, creation was God's first act of labor for us, and we are needed to be its stewards. Our mission in this reciprocal hospitality is to do our part to care for creation.
Let us invite Martha, Mary, Jesus, and Earth to our Labor day celebration and be grateful.
Sr. Rosemarie Greco, DW