Appropriate time for "Ora Et Labora"

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to explore the connection between work and contemplation in our journey to living fully in our relationships with people and God.

Hospitality and being present

In the Letter to the Galatians, Paul describes the events leading to his first journey to Jerusalem.

* [1:18–24] Paul’s first journey to Jerusalem as a Christian, according to Galatians (cf. Acts 9:23–31 and the note on Acts 12:25). He is quite explicit about contacts there, testifying under oath (Gal 1:20). On returning to Syria (perhaps specifically Damascus, cf. Gal 1:17) and Cilicia (including his home town Tarsus, cf. Acts 9:30; 22:3), Paul most likely engaged in missionary work. He underscores the fact that Christians in Judea knew of him only by reputation.

Jesus visits the home of Martha and Mary, in the Gospel from Luke and He responds to Martha’s anxiety about serving her guests.

* [10:38–42] The story of Martha and Mary further illustrates the importance of hearing the words of the teacher and the concern with women in Luke.

Mary Lee Brock finds herself being annoyed by Jesus “mansplaining” to Martha about how she should calm down.

He could have delivered the message in a more caring way by acknowledging the necessary hard work she was doing to run the household and be a good hostess.
The first verse of the psalm speaks to the importance of really seeing someone and acknowledging their gifts: O LORD, you have probed me and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar.
While it is true that Martha might have been a bit too wrapped up in some of the household duties, I wonder how her heart may have softened if she had a sense that Jesus understood what she was trying to accomplish.   And I wonder how she may have reacted if he had gently coaxed her into shifting her priorities.
Today’s gospel challenges me to look at my own priorities.  When do I get too caught up in the details of life forgetting to focus my thoughts and my actions on what is truly important, the word of God?

Alyce McKenzie quotes Paul Borgman, a professor of English and specialist in biblical narrative, that this text isn’t about siding with Martha or Mary; it’s about living into the kingdom of God that is already but not yet through the integration of prayer/study and service.

Says Borgman, “The audience is able to understand, through the back-to-back portrayals of the lawyer and Martha, how anxious distraction can surface in human lives and how such fear can be overcome on the journey toward salvation” (Borgman, 104).

Don Schwager quotes “The Body of Christ needs hearers and doers of the Word,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.

"'Virtue does not have a single form. In the example of Martha and Mary, there is added the busy devotion of the one and the pious attention of the other to the Word of God, which, if it agrees with faith, is preferred even to the very works, as it is written: 'Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.' So let us also strive to have what no one can take away from us, so that not careless but diligent hearing may be granted to us. For even the seeds of the heavenly Word itself are likely to be taken away if they are sowed by the wayside (Luke 8:5,12). Let the desire for wisdom lead you as it did Mary. It is a greater and more perfect work. Do not let service divert the knowledge of the heavenly Word... Nor is Martha rebuked in her good serving, but Mary is preferred because she has chosen the better part for herself, for Jesus abounds with many blessings and bestows many gifts. And therefore the wiser chooses what she perceives as foremost." (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 7.83-86)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Galatians 1:13-24 shares that God wants to build a relationship with us too. He wants to reveal his Son to us in a way that is unique.

You probably can’t dedicate three years to be alone with God. But you can step aside from your ordinary activities each day to spend time alone with him. You can get into the habit of talking to Jesus about the things that interest you or matter to you. You can ask him how he thinks, how he sees you, or what he wants to do in your life. As you do, pay attention to what stirs in your heart and mind. Pay attention to the thoughts that stir in your memory, imagination, or emotions. Write down what you think God may be saying to you so that you can go back and reflect on it later.

Friar Jude Winkler, OFM Conv, explains the motivation of Jewish Christian missionaries who accused Paul of hating the Jewish ways. A guest for Thanksgiving at Martha’s house is very likely to have a meal. Friar Jude reminds that hospitality calls us to be present to a guest. Sometimes our work and doing cause us to ignore people rather than being present for them.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes Martin Buber and Karen Armstrong in showing that we know God by loving God, by trusting God, by placing our hope in God. It is a non possessive, non objectified way of knowing.

Religion is complex; in every age, there are numerous strands of piety. No single tendency ever prevails in its entirety. People practice their faith in myriad contrasting and contradictory ways. But a deliberate and principled reticence about God [talk] and/or the sacred was a constant theme [at the more mature levels] not only in Christianity but in the other major faith traditions until the rise of modernity in the West. People believed that God exceeded our thoughts and concepts and could be known only by dedicated practice. We have lost sight of this important insight, and this, I believe, is one of the reasons why so many Western people find the concept of God so troublesome today. . .

The modern approach to relationships with God and people often lacks our full attention to the observation of the psalmist that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

References

(n.d.). Galatians chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved October 9, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/galatians/1
(n.d.). Luke chapter 10 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved October 9, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/luke/10:38
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved October 9, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(2010, July 12). Clearing Away the Psychic Clutter Martha and Mary in Luke 103842 .... Retrieved October 9, 2018, from http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithforward/2010/07/clearing-away-the-psychic-clutter-martha-and-mary-luke-1038-42/
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 9, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). 27th Week in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved October 9, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 9, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/