Anxious and Worried Martha

When Cardinal Seán O’Malley assigned me to Saint Mary’s in Wrentham and Saint Martha’s in Plainville, I thought that both parishes refer to the two sisters of Lazarus, the best friends of our Lord Jesus. On my arrival, I learned that Saint Mary’s is not related to Martha’s sister. The Mother of Jesus is the patron of Saint Mary’s instead. I was not disappointed at all as I so love our Mother Mary and her perpetual help for us sinners. I also love Lazarus’ sister even though her behavior raises anxiety and worry in her sister Martha in the presence of Jesus, their divine guest.

I get a little bit nervous when I put myself in the shoes of both Mary and Martha of Bethany. Imagine having a guest like Jesus in your house. God in person comes to visit you. How are you going to act after giving Him a seat? Are you going to ask Him about what He would like to drink? Are you going to sit with Him and listen to Him or are you going to cook a meal for Him? Maybe you will start talking to Him about all that burthens you, your desires and needs; or you will stand in awe of Him sitting on your couch. I really do not know how you will react. However, there will be a choice to make. Such a choice will come from within your heart as you are in front of the Most Holy Man. No one would miss such an opportunity of sharing love with God and taking benefit of His visit for one’s own life. Mary chooses sitting beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak the word of eternal life. Martha busies herself with the tasks of serving their guest. Luke does not precisely tell us what those tasks are. Maybe she was a good cook with a maternal sensitivity. She did not want their divine guest to feel hungry in their house.    

The pleasant visit takes a sharp turn when Martha, burdened with much serving, comes to Jesus and asks “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” Imagine that Jesus left Mary sitting there alone and went to help Martha. Mary could say “Lord, do you not care about leaving me alone while I need to listen to you?”. I would not like to be in the place of Jesus in the middle of both sisters. “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.” Jesus’ response to Martha, chiding her for her anxiety and worry, does not mean that He did not care about her as she said. In His infinite love and mercy, Jesus cares about all of us not because of what we do for Him but because of who we are, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Him. Jesus is not against serving others. He came Himself to serve not to be served. He commends us to serve our neighbor, especially through the parable of the good Samaritan that precedes His visit to Mary and Martha according to the gospel of Luke.

Anxiety and worry can easily distract us from the gracious presence of Jesus in our life, when either we listen to Him or serve Him through our neighbors. In both activities Jesus is present with us. That is why listening to and doing or receiving the Word of God and serving others are two pillars of our Christian life. And one of the lessons gleaned from Jesus’ visit to both sisters is the balance between prayer and work. In the words of Aquinas, Martha’s activity and Mary’s prayer, “far from excluding one another, depend on one another, presuppose one another, mingle and complete one another.”

How blessed we are to have Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey in Wrentham. Our Cistercian nuns perfectly live the conjunction between Martha and Mary in front of our Lord. They dedicate their “life of prayer and work in community to seeking union with God in Jesus Christ as an offering for the life of the world”. I love joining them for prayer. I hope to see you there for Vespers every day at 5:30 pm and Sunday at 5 pm. Please come and enjoy the beautiful chanting of Psalms and 20 minutes of adoration every day after the Vespers. To support the sisters, you can buy their high-quality candy made with love and prayers by the sisters themselves.   

Let me conclude with what I personally love about Jesus’ visit. It is that loving relationship between both sisters and Jesus. Martha did not wait for Jesus to leave and start complaining. She presents the reason for her anxiety to Jesus. Her request seems to me as a prayer of intercession. It is an example for us to follow. “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Ph 4:6-7). You who are anxious or worried, speak to Jesus to find rest in His word and strength to act and make a difference. Yes Lord, I am worried about the way life is being treated today. In your loving care, please convert the hearts of those who stand for the sin of murdering babies in the mother’s womb. Tell them to help us save life born and unborn.