Martha and Mary (2)

One Thing!

[Chorus] If I traded it all If I gave it all away for one thing Just for one thing If I sorted it out If I knew all about this one thing Wouldn't that be something [Verse 2] I promise I might Not walk on by Maybe next time But not this time Even though I know I don't want to know Yeah, I guess I know I just hate how it sounds

Makes you ask the question, what is that one thing? What’s that thing that I’ve missed before, that I only realized after the fact, I don’t want to miss it again, I just fear that I might…

And we all think, yea, that’s God, but, who am I to be the saint of this generation? There are so many things to do.

There are so many voices calling out to you: there are a thousand influences pulling you this way and that. What’s the one necessary thing?

It is to listen to the voice of Jesus as He tells you of his love and as he tells you who you are.

So we focus on the one thing… being with Jesus. So we pray, we read our bible (get on a reading plan), say our rosary, go to work, pause from work, remember Jesus, come back home, grab a snack, say grace, go to the gym, listen to something good or go with a friend, give thanks to God, make a chapel visit, say a divine mercy chaplet, do something i enjoy, hang out with our friend or spouse or a kid and enjoy them.

Maybe we don’t get around to praying and we think, where does God fit into all of this? Help, Jesus!

But the problem is in the question, God doesn’t fit in to our lives. He is our life!

We’ve got to be with Jesus or want to be with Jesus. This is the one thing.

And we believe all sorts of lies as to why we aren’t close with God. But we just have to look at our relationships with others to see that the lies have been built up there too.

“All your wishes have been about trying to be good, that if you were just good enough, or intelligent enough or handsome enough then people will like you.”

And we project the same thing on God.

St. Paul knew this. That’s all that matters. A lot of people didn’t like St. Paul. They threw rocks at him. People tell me frequently, “Fr. Ian, I didn’t like you the first time I went to Confession with you, or came to your Mass,” or “I still don’t like you!” But I’m not here working for your affections, but working for your soul! to give your heart to Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:2 “For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God, since I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”

If I were to worry about all of your affections I would be like Martha, with Christ, but anxious and worried about many things. This is not the better part!!!! Let’s look at some verses on anxiety.

1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.”

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”

Philippians 4:6 “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.”

Matthew 6:25 ““Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”

If we compare Martha with Sarah, they had their work cut out!!!!

"Sir, if I may ask you this favor, please do not go on past your servant. Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet, and then rest yourselves under the tree. Now that you have come this close to your servant, let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves; and afterward you may go on your way." The men replied, "Very well, do as you have said." Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah, "Quick, three measures of fine flour! Knead it and make rolls." He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer, and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it. Then Abraham got some curds and milk Gen 18:5-8

Mary chose the better part. Look at everything Martha and Sarah did!!! Does it not matter?! No, it does matter, but Christ is always calling us closer and closer to His Most Sacred Heart.

The three angels, the Lord, came to tell her that she would be pregnant within a year, giving birth to the promised son.

She gives Him hospitality at the beckoning of Abraham.

But what does Jesus say about hospitality?

“If they give you even a cup of cold water they will not lose their reward.” Mt 10:42

“Give them some food yourselves, All we have are 2 fish and five loaves.”

Have you ever thought about that?! Jesus is entirely simple in all of his requests! And somehow we want to make the faith complicated, and Satan wants us to complicate things so that we avoid giving God the one thing that He’s after, Our Heart.

Last week we heard about loving our neighbor, the Good Samaritan. St. Luke seems to be putting this story about doing for our neighbor something beautiful in juxtaposition to Mary and the disciples’ posture in Bethany.

If Sarah was being promised a son, then the similar thing here is that Jesus is the Promised Son of David and the Son of God in her presence.

“Martha Martha,” “Here I am, Remove your sandals…I am about to do something in Israel…”

Somehow, the doing and doing keeps us occupied and we would rather serve than pray. And I don’t mean praying for stuff, I mean praying where you sit before the Lord like Mary and say, “Here I am Lord, what’s up?!”

And ultimately, let’s not blame St. Martha or look at her with scorn. When God calls a person with a double name, perhaps he is recognizing who they are with the first name and calling them to the truth of who they are with the second.*

“So God knows himself, in knowing himself, he knows all of the ways in which we creatures can share in his divine life. - Godsplaining - “Can I miss my vocation?”

St. Paul, being inserted into Christ both shares in His sufferings and receives the mystery hidden from generations past.

Martha can represent the one who is laboring, who is being afflicted by the earthly matters as she pushes on towards God.

Mary can represent the one to whom God “chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory!”

“Admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom! that we may present everyone perfect in Christ!”

and perfect means brought to full life. Being inserted into the Heart of Christ.

*Abraham! Abraham! Genesis 22:11.

Jacob, Jacob. Genesis 46:2.

Moses, Moses! Exodus 3:4.

Samuel! Samuel!1 Samuel 3:10.

Martha, Martha. Luke 10:41.

Simon, Simon. Luke 22:31.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem Matthew 23:37.

Saul, Saul. Acts 9:4

My God! My God! Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22:1.

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