It Is Good to Sit, Listen and Let Jesus Speak to Us.
Dear Parishioners,
Today’s Gospel draws our attention to a brief stopover that Jesus made while on his way to Jerusalem. What took place at the house of Martha and Mary leaves us a little perplexed. Martha was totally consumed with her work of hospitality while Mary, her sister, did nothing to help. Martha instead sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to him. When Martha protested, Jesus seemed to reproach her for demanding that Mary be allowed to assist her with the cooking and hosting.
What message is the Lord bringing to our attention today? It seems to me that Martha is justified in asking for help, considering the amount of work before her, trying to feed Jesus and his disciples. It seems logical to ask for help to get everything ready and on time. Also, this tells us that Martha was indeed an active and diligent home maker who is good at providing her guests with proper reception. We must acknowledge how difficult it is to host unexpected guests and company. So, Martha, feeling that everything ought to be perfect and ready, decided to interrupt Jesus’ conversation by asking that Mary be allowed to assist her.
We identify with this feeling of being overworked. The feeling of giving your all, while some people are slacking behind. The feeling of not being appreciated. Sometimes we feel tired and worn out by all the work, while some people like Mary are given a pass. On the other hand, Martha could have whispered to Mary for assistance. Rather, she chose to appeal directly to Jesus, hoping for a fair verdict. Perhaps she thought that it would be easy to convince Jesus than trying to convince Mary. But Jesus surprised her by saying, “Martha, Martha you are anxious and upset about many things: one thing only is required.”
Now we know that Martha was anxious and upset because of the amount of work before her. She had a lot on her plate. Although with good intention nevertheless, she is overwhelmed with chores and cooking. We find ourselves in this situation daily. When our work, duties, and projects take a greater part of us. It is dangerous to allow our tasks to become the center of everything to the extent that we lose sight of God. For a moment, Martha lost sight of Jesus. She was too focused on the task of providing hospitality; she did not recognize that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem to be crucified and die.
Perhaps in the past she may have entertained Jesus and his company. But on this particular day, companionship and listening to your guests were the most important requirements. Jesus must have had a lot in his mind; knowing full well that he was not coming back again to that house, since he was destined for Jerusalem, where suffering and death awaits him. Mary understood that and took her rightful place at the feet of Jesus, hanging on every word that he spoke.
This Martha’s experience is a good lesson for us. Surely, Mary should have helped, However, Martha’s attitude helps us to recognize that temptation and distraction are real, and we must be on guard against them. Abraham’s attitude teaches us how we should act with efficiency in serving the Lord without losing focus on our task. In his tent, he sat, listened and was able to recognize those three Angels that passed before him and provided them with hospitality. He did not attached importance to himself.
We know that we are often more aligned with Martha than Abraham. But we should not lose hope. Like St. Paul, we should be open and willing to accept some suffering and inconvenience for the good of the others and glory of God. It is good to sit, listen, and let the Lord Jesus speak to us.
Sincerely Yours In The Lord,
Rev. Vitalis Anyanike
Pastor
