It is almost hard to believe we are already deep into the “dog days of summer” and sixteen weeks into “ordinary” time. This is the time of years I must remind myself that phrase “Ordinary Time" actually comes from the Latin word "ordinalis," meaning "numbered" or "ordered," as in Sundays at this time are numbered. It might be easy to think this time of year is not as important to Catholic Christians as the holiday seasons. Nothing could be farther from the truth! If we are not paying attention, we can miss many of the day-to-day things Jesus, and later His followers like St. Jude, came to teach us to make our lives more hopeful.
The Gospel passage, Luke 10:38–42, invites us to explore how serving God and serving others are meant to work together. This is our first encounter with Mary and Martha. It recounts when Martha, while working to provide for Jesus and other guests, asks Jesus to order her sister Mary, who was sitting and listening to Jesus speak, to help provide for their guests. Of course, Jesus’ response was, “"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. (Luke 10:41)"
At first, we may want to think this a simple way of saying that praying, spending time with Jesus, and simply going to Church is the only thing we are called to do. It is not. This is a snapshot into Mary and Martha’s life centered on the importance of doing two related things at their proper time.
Notice, Jesus did not say Martha was doing a bad or wrong thing; He pointed out to her she had lost focus on why she was helping others. Perhaps, her focus should have been more centered on her service to others as an extension of God’s love for us rather than a simple chore. And, while He did say Mary chose the “better part,” notice He did not say the “only” part. I believe he was simply pointing out Mary was doing the right thing there and then so she could be ready to serve both God and others down the road.
This is a classic situation which points out in our faith lives we need to take a “both/and” approach. It is not an “either/or” absolute, especially when we look at the best way of developing Hope in our lives. Praying and spending time with God are critical for our faith lives. But so is reaching out and helping and serving others like St. Jude and Jesus’ earliest followers. We need to be able balance both the “Mary” and “Martha” parts of our lives. Which part of your spiritual life needs more work? Balancing the two is a true path to living a fulfilling and hope filled life!
Fr. Michail Ford, OP
Fr. Mike is the spiritual director of the Dominican Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus in Chicago, Illinois.