François Varillon
Let's take the event with Martha and Mary from the 10th chapter of Saint Luke (Lk 10:38ff), to reflect on the connections, the relationships between prayer and action. As we know, this is a key issue.
As they were traveling, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. Martha was distracted with much serving. She went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me!” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha! You are anxious and troubled about many things. But one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Mary and Martha, two realms within ourselves
First of all, I want to point out that the episode is inserted between the parable of the Good Samaritan and the Lord's Prayer. Following the Lord's Prayer is the parable of the persistent friend. With the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus praises action, the deed of love, genuine, specific, and effective service that the Samaritan demonstrated. And it cannot be said that the subsequent recommendation of the Lord's Prayer contradicts the praise of generous action; this is not possible. Therefore, I do not need to let myself be disturbed by the text about Martha and Mary, as many good people do. People say: It is easy to sit at the Lord's feet with folded hands while someone else does all the work!
The text has often been interpreted in terms of a contradiction between the contemplative and active life. However, such a contradiction cannot be derived from the gospels at all. Jesus rightly said that Mary chose the better part: it is an eternal part that will not be taken from her, precisely because it lasts into eternity. Martha's part only lasts in time. We hope that one day a person will complete their work. Not that they will complete it on earth in a political or social sense; certainly not. The Christian actually carries a fundamental internal tension: 1 they must do everything to ensure that the society of tomorrow is a just society, even while knowing that it will never exist in its fullness. This internal tension is essential for the Christian; perhaps Emmanuel Mounier wrote about it most beautifully.
Yet it is also necessary for Martha's portion to be pure. More precisely, the Gospel tells us why Martha is not pure.
The gospel scene can be read on two levels.
It could refer to one household where Martha, Mary, and a third person, Lazarus, who does not appear in this story, live. Thus, a household where there are currently three people: Martha, Mary, and Jesus. However, we can also read this incident on a deeper level, where we see the household in Bethany as our soul, in which Jesus dwells. More precisely, he dwells in our freedom, because our soul is essentially the place of our freedom. Then Martha and Mary become something like animus and anima, as Claudel calls them in one famous parable. Animus as the human spirit; anima as the deepest soul. Animus is that part of ourselves through which we are in contact with the world, the part of ourselves that acts, whether through any activity or work. Anima is the deepest layer of the soul, the place where God creates us (if it is true that he is continuously creating us, that he did not create us once and for all, but he creates us at every moment). Therefore, Martha will be the part of ourselves that is in contact with the world, the part of ourselves that acts. And Mary will be the area deeply meditative, focused on God, who dwells within us. And these two components are inseparable. There is no danger that Mary will remain inactive. She is inactive only momentarily, while listening to Jesus' word. Jesus will not ask her to remain inactive but to act according to his word. She listens.
(Note, if I distinguish between two areas, two zones within us, they are not two different parts; they do not relate to each other like a mountain to a valley. It is still about a single person.)
Mary, a person fully human, acts according to Jesus' word because she has taken the time to ask him what he desires. Therefore, her actions will not be hurriedness, activism, or selfishness. It will be authentic action. The question remains, what are the conditions for such authentic activity, which is neither haste nor activism or opportunism, which is not disintegration of oneself.
If I say that Martha is absorbed in her activity, it would be important to emphasize the word "absorbed," as given by the Latin translation: Martha autem satagebat. She is absorbed, engulfed, in some way immersed in activity. She hears nothing of what Jesus says. And precisely because she does not listen, she is not pure. The evidence that she is not pure is what she says to Jesus: “Do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?” If she were pure, she would rejoice in the fact that she could serve so her sister could sit at the feet of Jesus. Instead, she gets angry, jealous. She does not seem to realize how much effort she is putting into this.
We need to re-experience the whole scene and observe Martha. I can see her well, opening the cupboard, picking out plates and a tablecloth. The second sister is sitting at Jesus' feet the whole time. And Jesus does not seem to notice how much Martha is exerting herself. “Can’t you say something to her…, or at least start to notice how much effort I am putting in here?” Martha wants her devoted service to be appreciated. In other words, she would like to appear devoted. But she cannot appear fully devoted if in Jesus' eyes Mary appears as such. “So tell my sister that she is not devoted at all in this moment; I am the devoted one.” This is all because she hears nothing and is completely absorbed in her work, immersed in it. Sometimes we call this true devotion (dedication), but the truth is elsewhere. True devotion is selfless. Martha will truly be devoted if she says to herself: “This is wonderful! I am working, and Mary can listen to Jesus.” But that is not the case at all.
Jesus responds. We need to visualize Jesus in that room and try to listen to his voice, what tone he might have used to speak his words. I imagine a gentle yet very firm tone, with repeated addressing: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things.” We could even interpret it like this: “You are preparing a lavish dinner with many courses; but why? One would be enough. You haven’t asked me what I want… You are making a fuss, putting small plates on large ones. You haven't asked me anything, so you are not doing what would please me. And what do I want? Only one thing is necessary.”
This does not at all mean, as is often interpreted, that the only thing needed is contemplation. Not at all! No. “The only thing needed is to listen to my word, to be united with me, so that one can act according to my will, which is the will of the Father.”
(From the book of Francois Varillon, Le message de Jésus.
Bayard Ed./Centurion 1998, pp. 232–235.
Translated by K. L.)
