Tell Martha Not to Moan!

Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.  She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.  Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?  Tell her to help me."  The Lord said to her in reply, "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: 38-42
On the heals of last week's challenge to discipleship, today I offer you two different perspectives on what it means to work for the Lord.  Pray and Do!

The introverts of the world would love the "Mary" in the Gospel passage above.  While this is obviously not THE MARY that we often refer to in our Catholic spirituality, it is a Mary of much faith and purpose.  She "sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak."  A disciple is a person of PRAYER, and prayer, while often portrayed as our talking to God, is also an action rooted in our listening.  It is an active participation in a relationship and a conversation that is not just focused on our conveying our message.  As a disciple, there is much work and action that takes place when you are simply visiting and listening to the one's you are serving.  In the Gospel above, THIS MARY is serving our Lord by allowing him to be who he is, and to share what he has come to share!

The extroverts of the world can feel MARTHA's frustration.  There is much to DO, and other important factors that need to occur when one is serving.  A disciple is a person of ACTION, and doing the work of feeding the hungry, takes planning and preparation.  Have you heard the phrase, "Well, the table isn't just gonna set itself.  Is someone gonna help me here?"  I believe every kid in the world has heard something like that at some point along the way.  As a disciple, there is much work to do, and doing it requires commitment and perseverance.  Martha seems to possess both of those qualities, but she also is sharing a common frustration that all disciples must go through... "Hello... Am I the only one who thinks that there is job to do here?"  In the Gospel above, MARTHA is serving our Lord by doing much work for him, allowing him to relax and share.

Of the two, who is the better disciple?

This Gospel seems to indicate that "Mary has chosen the better part."  But in discipleship, notice how Mary and Martha are TWO working together for a common purpose.  Both are serving the Lord, and both are giving him their full effort, but Mary has the "better part" because of her focus and attention.  She not only listens, remains at his side.  Martha, while preparing the table that will eventually serve him a meal, loses sight of the Lord, only to be focused on Mary, and what she is not doing.

Of the two, what kind of disciple are we?

Do we listen and pray with the Lord, or do we work for him?  I hope the answer is BOTH!
Do we sit at his side, or do we prepare the table at which we will eat together?  I hope the answer is BOTH!

As a disciple...

Do we get lost in the effort, so that it becomes burdensome, and not faith-filled?
Do we allow our partners in ministry to share in the duties of praying, while we take our turn doing?
Do we serve with a glad heart, knowing that it is HE that is with us?
Do we pray?
Do we do?

There are disciples of all kinds, and all kinds of disciples must be willing to stretch themselves in new directions, to serve where they are not comfortable, and do what they are not experts at doing.  

When we pray, we do more than just TELL, we LISTEN!
When we do, we give more than just OUR service, we give the LORD!