The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to meditate on our journey as followers of Jesus led by the Spirit in piety, study, and action.
Care and conversation
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Galatians acclaims, “And they glorified God because of me.“
* [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.1
Psalm 139 praises the Inescapable God.
* [Psalm 139] A hymnic meditation on God’s omnipresence and omniscience. The psalmist is keenly aware of God’s all-knowing gaze (Ps 139:1–6), of God’s presence in every part of the universe (Ps 139:7–12), and of God’s control over the psalmist’s very self (Ps 139:13–16). Summing up Ps 139:1–16, 17–18 express wonder. There is only one place hostile to God’s rule—wicked people. The psalmist prays to be removed from their company (Ps 139:19–24).2
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Visits Martha and Mary.
* [10:39] Sat beside the Lord at his feet: it is remarkable for first-century Palestinian Judaism that a woman would assume the posture of a disciple at the master’s feet (see also Lk 8:35; Acts 22:3), and it reveals a characteristic attitude of Jesus toward women in this gospel (see Lk 8:2–3).3
When praying, the question surfaced for Amy Hoover, what is “the better part”?
As I reflected with the scripture some more, I struggled with Jesus’ apparent choosing the contemplative way over the activist way. But once again, as I rested in the story in prayer, I realized that starting with prayer, being in relationship with God and others, naturally leads to activism. How many times do we serve out of a sense of obligation or because we think that it is expected? Is that what Martha was doing? Given the norms of the time, women would not have been part of the conversation, possibly not even at the table. They would have been preparing the meal and serving because that was the expectation. If given the opportunity to be in relationship, to be a disciple/apostle maybe would have desired to make and serve the meal, to use their gifts out of love. When we are in relationship with people we want to use our gifts to help them, serve them. This desire comes from a place of love, not obligation. Serving becomes a privilege not a burden. Could it be that Mary “choosing the better part” is really resulting in Mary choosing both. I wonder, if after this encounter, Mary chose out of love for Martha to join her in serving those gathered in their home.4
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)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 10:38-42 comments that the Christian life is a mixture of activity and openness to God’s grace. The more we receive encouragement from the Lord and our brothers and sisters in Christ, the more joyful and fruitful our acts of service will become.
So be sure to take time every day to sit quietly and invite Jesus to speak to your heart. But also make it a point to reach out to a friend from your parish. Don’t do all the talking either. Listen to the Lord; honor your brother or sister in Christ. Believe that those moments spent in fellowship are not a waste—they’re a slice of eternity! “Jesus, help me to listen and receive from you today.”6
Friar Jude Winkler provides background on the life of Paul as a Pharisee and as an apostle, witness to the Resurrection. The traditional interpretation of the contemplative life as better than the secular life is examined. Friar Jude reminds us that sharing feasts with others needs to make our interaction with them as our primary action.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, notes that Creation itself—not ritual or spaces constructed by human hands—was Saint Francis’ primary cathedral. His love for creation drove him back into the needs of the city, a pattern very similar to Jesus’ own movement between desert solitude (contemplation) and small-town healing ministry (action).
So-called “nature mysticism” was in fact a worthy first path for Francis, and also for Bonaventure, the scholar who brought the vision of Francis and Clare to the level of a total theology, philosophy, and worldview. Bonaventure saw all things as likenesses of God (vestigia Dei), fingerprints and footprints that reveal the divine DNA underlying all the links in the Great Chain of Being. Both Francis and Bonaventure laid the foundation for what John Duns Scotus (1266–1308) would later identify as the univocity (one voice) of all being, and what Dawn Nothwehr, a Franciscan sister, calls “cosmic mutuality.” [3]7
Revelation, contemplation, and service are all part of our relationship with Jesus that prepare us for relationships with others.
References
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