Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
According to the late Fr. Joe Tedesco, we can lose a lot depending on our translation of today’s Gospel. It helps to imagine the scene. A quiet village is Jesus’s next destination. People who live in small villages are known for their great hospitality, but Jesus is another type of guest; it’s not just him, but a bunch of disciples and every sick or curious person in town. So, when we read that Martha was “burdened with much serving,” we’re talking about a lot of food prep. She’s making several different dishes in a meal to appear to the tastes of a number of people who aren’t local, and therefore could expect something different than the usual food served in this little town. If they have bit of a menu to choose from, they’re at least be something that each person can happily eat.
Martha is worried that the bread isn’t rising in time, the beans are boiling over, the serving bowls are still dirty from the appetizer she set out when everyone first arrived, and her best (and only) helper has stopped helping. Many hosts are tempted to think their hospitality is a reflection of themselves; it would be terrible if someone left hungry, or felt unwelcome, or thought the house was dirty. So Martha is worried about “many things-” many tasks, the judgment of her guests, and the prep work for several different dishes. Her mind is divided. She has stopped paying attention to Jesus, She’s also stopped remembering that the heart of hospitality is love of neighbor, not the successful cooking of a large and varied menu.
Her sister Mary saw that to love and be hospitable to Jesus, we need to listen to him. Out of everything ‘on the menu,’ Mary chose, “the best dish.” (This is another valid translation according to Fr. Joe.) There is plenty of good work to do in the Kingdom, and some of it is urgent. But we need to remember the reason we work for Jesus is because of Love, not just because a task list is calling our name. May we take time today to connect with the Loving heart of Jesus. May we be strengthened by ‘the best dish’ to accomplish what we can for God, not out of urgency, but out of Love. Amen.
-Chris Nieport