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| Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, by Tintoretto 1570-75 |
The Lord appeared to Abraham by the
terebinth of Mamre,
as he sat in the entrance of his tent,
while the day was growing hot.
Looking up, Abraham saw three men
standing nearby.
When he saw them, he ran from the
entrance of the tent to greet them;
and bowing to the ground, he said:
"Sir, if I may ask you this
favor,
please do not go on past your servant.
Let some water be brought, that you
may bathe your feet,
and then rest yourselves under the
tree.
Now that you have come this close to
your servant,
let me bring you a little food, that
you may refresh yourselves;
and afterward you may go on your
way."
The men replied, "Very well, do
as you have said."
Abraham hastened into the tent and
told Sarah,
"Quick, three measures of fine
flour! Knead it and make rolls."
He ran to the herd, picked out a
tender, choice steer,
and gave it to a servant, who quickly
prepared it.
Then Abraham got some curds and milk,
as well as the steer that had been
prepared,
and set these before the three men;
and he waited on them under the tree
while they ate.
They asked Abraham, "Where is
your wife Sarah?"
He replied, "There in the
tent."
One of them said, "I will surely
return to you about this time next year,
and Sarah will then have a son."
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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 if
Isaac is miraculous.
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R. (1a) He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
One who
walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks
the truth in his heart
and slanders
not with his tongue.
R. He who does
justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who harms
not his fellow man,
nor takes up
a reproach against his neighbor;
by whom the
reprobate is despised,
while he
honors those who fear the Lord.
R. He who does
justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who lends
not his money at usury
and accepts
no bribe against the innocent.
One who does
these things
shall never
be disturbed.
R. He who does
justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 15:2-3, 3-4, 5
Psalm 15 is a liturgy psalm, a Jewish
form of examination of conscience spoken at the entrance to the temple. 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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Brothers and sisters:
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for
your sake,
and in my flesh I am filling up
what is lacking in the afflictions of
Christ
on behalf of his body, which is the
church,
of which I am a minister
in accordance with God’s stewardship
given to me
to bring to completion for you the
word of God,
the mystery hidden from ages and from
generations past.
But now it has been manifested to his
holy ones,
to whom God chose to make known the
riches of the glory
of this mystery among the Gentiles;
it is Christ in you, the hope for
glory.
It is he whom we proclaim,
admonishing everyone and teaching
everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone perfect
in Christ.
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Commentary on Col 1:24-28
“As the community at Colossae
This suffering, referred to by St. Paul
(from the Jerusalem translation: “It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I am suffering now, and in my
own body to do what I can to make up all that has still to be undergone by
Christ for the sake of his body, the Church.”) relates to the divisive impact the
Gospel has when it is proclaimed; some will accept it, others will not –
completing Christ’s suffering in the rejection of the Gospel.
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Gospel: Luke 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha
welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet
listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came
to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself
to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious
and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from
her."
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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.”[5]
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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 St. Paul
“…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)
Was
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 or 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 were every thing 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: July 21 Saint Lawrence of
Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church
[2] The
picture used today is Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, by Tintoretto
1570-75
[3] The
readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm
and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] See NAB
footnote on Colossians 1:24-28
[5] Ignatius
Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco , CA. pp. 129
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