50 years ago, today, July 20, 1969, man landed on the moon. Three astronauts were sent there in the Apollo 11 rocket.
Two of them, Neal Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, are names both familiar and famous; however, very few can recall the name of the third: he didn’t walk on the lunar surface; no photographs were taken of him; no words of his were recorded for posterity.
No. This third astronaut had to take care of all the mundane work of making sure they were able to return safely to the earth. He was a “Martha”—burdened with much serving.
“Nothing hurts more than doing your absolute best and still not being good enough.”
The story of Mary and Martha is a familiar one. And it is one that is rich in meaning.
Often when people in ministry preach on this Gospel passage they like to compare and contrast the value of “contemplation” vs. “action” in the spiritual life. Others will talk about the necessity of being completely devoted to Jesus. A few others will talk about the place of “worry” and “anxiety” in a life of faith.
And yet, deep down, whenever I hear Jesus say to Martha: “Mary has chosen the better part,” I often say to myself: “Nothing hurts more than doing your absolute best and still not being good enough.”
And so, I’d like to take us in a slightly different direction as we think about Jesus’ words: “Mary has chosen the better part.”
Because at its heart, this Gospel passage from Luke seems to be telling us that in every situation there is almost always a “best” thing we can (and must) do.
And the fact that the Lord affirms Mary so strongly suggests to me that it is this “best” thing that we should be searching for; this “best” thing we should discover; this “best” thing we should choose in every situation in which we find ourselves.
In other words, our lives are filled with decisions and choices. And for people of good will, it is the pursuit of the “best part” that ensures that we are truly doing our best to do God’s will and are doing all we can to help make God visibly present in a world in desperate need of him.
And yet, what we often fail to realize is that many of the choices we have to make don’t involve one thing that is “good” and one thing that is “bad”. No. Often we are forced or asked to choose between things that involve varying degrees of “good”.
It’s important to notice that Jesus isn’t upset or irritated or even disappointed with Martha. She hasn’t done a “bad” thing. She hasn’t done something wrong or something that has caused harm to anyone.
And yet, both Martha and Mary, remind us that, at times, we fall into one of three categories of Christian discipleship: (1) the committed; (2) the compulsive, and (3) the complacent.
The committed are those who love the Lord, and whose love and joy motivates them to serve faithfully. The compulsive have to serve, but for the wrong motives, whether it be guilt, fear, or one’s need for approval. The complacent just don’t care. Their love is cold: their loyalties divided.
Are you, where you want to be? Are you where you don’t want to be. Are you relishing in having chosen the “better part”? Or are you still wandering in search of it? Have you given up? Or do you know longer even care?
As together we approach the week ahead, unaware of all that will unfold in this crazy world, let us have the courage and the wisdom to struggle with our own conscience, to listen to God’s voice, to avail ourselves of the spiritual nourishment the Church provides at the table of Word and Sacrament.
For every one of us will someday find him or herself at Jesus’ feet. His saints, those who have trusted in Him for salvation, will be at His feet in worship, adoration, and praise. And those who have rejected Him, they will also be at His feet, or, more accurately, under His feet.
May we come before the Lord now, like Mary, in humility and in confidence, for it is Jesus who is always the better part.