Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary
Today’s first reading is a short explanation from Paul of his own conversion. He describes himself before he encountered Christ as “a zealot for my ancestral traditions.” Lest we think that Paul has totally forgotten these traditions, however, he then quotes the Hebrew scriptures in the next line, saying that God “who from my mother’s womb had set me apart” called him to something more. Paul is paraphrasing Psalm 139, which is the Psalm for today as well. The verses speak to the intimacy between humanity and God, their Creator. According to the Psalmist, God knows when we sit or stand, when we journey and when we rest. God has formed us, and we are “fearfully, wonderfully made.” It is a beautiful reflection on the relationship between Creator and creature, one that is marked by intimacy and love.
What Jesus says to Martha in the Gospel reading, therefore, makes sense in light of this loving intimacy. Martha and Mary are sisters, and Martha is left doing the dishes while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus after the meal. When Martha complains to Jesus, he says that “Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” Poor Martha! She is stuck with all of the work and she is rebuffed by Jesus! It is hard not to identify with Martha. Haven’t we all been in a situation where we were stuck doing the work while others seemed to laze about?
But Jesus’ point is that Mary isn’t simply “not working.” She is sitting with her Lord and God, in loving contemplation. Given the relationship described in Psalm 139 and echoed by Saint Paul, she is doing the ultimate thing a person can do: contemplating the love of her Creator. The rest of our lives are structured around this loving relationship. All of our furious activity only makes sense in light of this love.
Today is my wedding anniversary. Marriage is a bunch of moments lived with another person in love. At the heart of any moment, no matter how mundane, is the question of love. If we are called to love as God loves, we are called to live in contemplative love with other people. This means that we must always strive to see in them the image of God. We are called to structure all of our moments around this love, perfected in Christ’s love for us on the cross. We will fail and we will often give into Martha’s anxious temptations. But God’s love and mercy persists, and God calls us back into intimacy with him. In contemplating God’s love for us, we then begin to learn how we might better love those around us, no matter who they are.
- Katherine Schmidt