Martha time

One of the temptations which we confront in daily life as we journey in response to the invitation to be in relationship with God is “to get it done”. The Roman Catholic Lectionary today uses text from the Book of Exodus which describes the events of the creation of a golden calf by the Israelites in the desert while Moses was up the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments from God. Rabbinical commentary on this event often categorizes the sin of the people as being that of idolatry, replacing the worship of God with worship of a false god. Friar Jude Winkler notes that it is very human for us to want to shape God to be as we would like and for us to have some control over how God responds and acts in our lives. The impatience of the Israelites, who apparently did not know where Moses was, is present in our lives when getting on with the journey on our terms is chosen over the prayerful patience to take in our present situation and live in the life given us today. The Gospel from Luke tells of Jesus visit to the home of Mary and Martha. This unfolding of events during this visit may seem to be forcing a choice between service in hospitality of Martha and the study as a disciple shown by Mary. Friar Jude notes that in the Middle Ages, this passage was used to justify the superiority of the contemplative life over the life of action. Martha certainly is keen to “get it done” and Mary seems to be unaware that Jesus and probably many of His followers are gathered and will need to receive some basic hospitality from their hosts. We often live in tension between apparently opposing forces. The method of prayerful patience offers time to better appreciate the present and see the value on all sides of these tensions. We can act with service like the Sisters of St Martha of Antigonish and still offer time as Presence to others in the model of Mary, the disciple.