“She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do...” (Luke 10:39-40 MSG)
Mary represents the contemplative side in each of us, while Martha symbolizes our desire to be useful. Jesus describes what Mary does as essential, which implies that Martha’s busywork is non-essential. Unfortunately, most of us operate from a different paradigm. We think of visible, external actions as more valuable than internal work. I spend less than 5% of my day emulating Mary, while my “Martha side” gets free rein over the rest of my time. Being Martha is empowering and oh-so-deeply satisfying. The more I accomplish, the more I feel validated. Being Mary, on the other hand, induces guilt. I have nothing to show for my time. It looks like I’m just sitting around being lazy and irresponsible.
What seems useful by worldly standards is often peripheral by spiritual standards. Contemplation opens the door to the interior of our being. Stillness, attentiveness, and study allow us to notice God’s presence. As we go deeper, we become more and more intimate with the Spirit.
It may seem that the world cannot get along without our Martha side. If we spent all our time in contemplation and prayer, who would do the laundry? I’m not advocating getting rid of useful, efficient Martha. I’m just suggesting she doesn’t need to be in charge all the time. Perhaps Mary can be the driver--allowing essential interior work to take precedence over exterior work. This way, our visible life becomes an expression of our invisible intimacy with God.
"I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing.” (John 15:5 MSG)
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