This year, the Gospel reading about Martha and Mary struck a different chord for me. I took away something more this time. It's not that one of the sisters was right and the other was
wrong, but that – for that moment in time – Mary’s reaction to being in the
presence of Jesus may have been the more appropriate. Yet, someone always
has to be tasked with the grunt work, if you will, even as there’s also a need to
stop and smell the roses – to take in the finer details and absorb them into
our very souls. Perhaps, just this once, the meticulous care taken to have the
house in order and meal prepared, cost Martha a very precious gift – communing with
Jesus and the opportunity to drink in what He had to share. Nonetheless, each
woman’s task was a necessity – otherwise, there would have been no household to
gather within.
Martha or Mary: Both Roles Have Value
In pondering the way our Church leaders govern, a similar thought came to me. As much as we, as a Catholic people, find
comfort in the familiar, sometimes a new way to approach our ancient faith can have
its merit as well. Much has been made about the difference between Pope Francis
and his most recent predecessor, but when we look to Martha and Mary in this broader way we are spurred to look at the overall picture instead of solely the minor
details.
Pope Benedict XVI was a supreme teacher as well as being
very shy and modest. His care of the liturgy and its reformation was a very
necessary step after the ‘spirit’ of Vatican II led to numerous deviations from
what the Mass is and always has been. What started out as a way for the laity
to more actively participate in the liturgy, sometimes became the travesty of making the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass a do-it-yourself project for many. That the fault didn't lie with the documents or the council of Vatican II mattered not a whit
to those who willfully used the opportunity for their own purposes – or, for
that matter, to the people in the pews who were unaware that terrible liberties
were being taken. The scholarly writings of Pope Benedict will feed souls for many years to come and
his care of the structure of the Mass will help assure its survival.
Pope Francis, as best as can be surmised within the brief
time he has been with us, is more outgoing in character. He seems to thrive on
being in the company of the people – celebrating Mass in small venues, eating
with the workers, and going out into the throngs to press the flesh. His
homilies are short and sweet but very much to the point. The Devil is among us,
Hell is a reality, and we must love one another as commanded by Jesus. He doesn't couch his words but matter-of-factly shares them as recurring themes. It doesn't appear that he is as concerned about maintaining protocol in the way a Pontiff
dresses, where he lives, or how he travels. In my humble opinion, he appears to be a bit more spontaneous.
Martha and Mary: No Wrong, No Right
Like the story of Martha and Mary, however, we find that
there is no wrong or right here – there is simply a difference of approach.
That both men value the necessity of the rules governing the Church,
celebrating Mass, and maintaining an order that ties us back to the very
beginning of the Church instituted by Jesus Christ Himself, is evident. The
Great Commandment that we love one another, is also very apparent in the lives
of both Pope Benedict and Pope Francis. We are commanded to serve one another and that is
given priority status by both. Rules cannot be followed at the exclusion of
living the Gospel but neither can living the Gospel cause us to throw rules out
the window.
What we are seeing here is a difference of approach –
because their earthly God-given gifts vary – much like what is spoken of in 1 Corinthians
12. Whether it is an eye, foot, or ear – all are important. We are one body –
the Body of Christ – and just like the physical human body has many parts, so
does the Church. And all purposes are significant in their own service.
“That
there might be no schism in the body; but the members might be mutually careful
one for another.
And
if one member suffer any thing, all the members suffer with it; or if one
member glory, all the members rejoice with it.”
Martha and Mary: Both Are Necessary for the Whole
So we see that there is much more to Luke's Gospel than at first
glance. Both Martha and Mary are a necessary part of the equation – they bring
their special gifts to procure the accomplishment of the whole. There is a
goodness in realizing the right season, the right mission, the right goal at a
given time. For, “there is a time for everything, and a season for every
activity under the heavens”. It is ours to obey the whispering call as
scripture and the Holy Spirit give us what we need - just at the right time. There is a necessity of
continued learning and perusal of Gospels, the Word of God and the Catechism of the
Catholic Church in order that we might arm ourselves with the proper tools for the proper time. As the cycles of our lives change so does what we take away
from reading, prayer, and inspiration. As a very wise priest once told me, “sometimes
the result of inspiration is not known until years later”. In the spirit of Martha, Mary, Benedict and Francis let us continue to function as worthy members of the Body of Christ - each doing his own part.
