THE SACRAMENT OF PRESENCE

Luke 10:38-42

The scene from the story of Jesus’ visit to the home of Martha and Mary has Martha busying herself in the kitchen preparing food for their guests while Mary sits attentively at the feet of the Rabbi taking in his teaching. Responding to Martha’s complaint that Mary isn’t helping her, Jesus comments that Mary has chosen the better part. One can see how this story can be interpreted as more in support of contemplative listening and less in favor of works. But I think doing so misses the point of the teaching.

I’m a big fan of meditation and other forms of contemplative practice, but nowhere in this story is there any mention of such because that is not what this story is about. What it is about is discipleship.

It is often assumed that the “many tasks” that were distracting Martha were those of cooking and preparing a meal for everyone, and it’s a safe assumption given the culture of the time which most always included making a meal as a show of hospitality for visiting guests. When Jesus decided to drop in on the two sisters, Martha’s immediate response was to get things going in the kitchen. She was faithful to the tradition of hospitality that had begun long ago in the vision of Abraham that we hear of in Genesis 18 when Sarah hastened to prepare food for their three visitors.

But Mary’s impulse was to sit at Jesus’ feet to listen attentively to the Rabbi’s teaching. But no one should diminish Martha’s hospitality or her spirit of diakonia as one who serves. I want to suggest that both actions are a show of hospitality – Martha in her service and Mary in her listening. And both are given in the spirit of discipleship.

When Jesus refers to Martha being “worried and distracted by many things,” he may be referring to Martha’s attitude rather than her actions. She was upset while doing the work. She was sidetracked from finding God in her tasks. She was distracted by her frustration, worries, and her judgment.

It’s not that Martha is lacking in faith. She is the one who shares with Peter the honor of boldly proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah. In John’s Gospel, just minutes before Jesus raises Lazareth to life, it is Martha who says: “I believe you are the messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” Jesus is not chiding Martha for her hospitality of service or because the faith in her heart is not equal to Mary’s. He is pointing out to her that the service she is rendering is colored by her frustration and anxiety, and that it is not necessary.

But Martha’s frustration is understandable. This is a radical move on the part of Mary, and for Jesus too, who once again turns the tables on the acceptable cultural norms. In a time when it was for women to assume their role of working away in cooking, cleaning, serving and whatnot, Mary had adopted the posture of a disciple, sitting at the feet of her Lord. One might wonder if Martha even felt abandoned by her sister. As strange and counter cultural as it may have seemed to some, this scene illustrates that the place of women was not first and foremost the kitchen or the serving room, but the same place it was for men: sitting at the feet of Jesus as disciples, listening to his word.

In our work with our incarcerated friends, we are aware that our ministry is first one of presence – to simply be with people and offer hospitality of heart. We often hear the them say that they have never had someone just sit a listen to them. They have never had someone value who they are and what they have to say. Just as Jesus, Mary, and Martha were engaged in hospitality and presence, so too are we called to be present to one another.

It is all too easy to be distracted away from our attention to the word of God. Like Martha, we are all prone to petty jealousies, self-centered thinking, limited vision, and judgment. I am not proud to say that these and many more character shortcomings have lived within my heart. But being Christian doesn’t grant us immunity from being human.

Imagine Jesus saying to Martha, and to you and me, that whether we sit at the feet of the teacher or prepare and serve food, it is a wonderful thing. Mary has chosen to feast on the Eternal Word, and acts of service are equally beautiful. But he doesn’t want us to be distracted from being able to be fully present to him. He is inviting us to something better – to listen carefully with an uncluttered heart and learn from him.

So, the lesson today is not about being more like Mary and less like Martha. It is about achieving a healthy balance between contemplating the word of God and active in ministry. The two are not mutually exclusive, but instead two complimentary parts to the whole of an authentic spiritual life.

Jesus is continually calling us into a deepening relationship with God and with each other. Jesus invites us to open our hearts to receive the gift of the Real Presence of Christ as found in relationship with those with whom we live and work and worship. This is the work of the kingdom of God, and as disciples of Christ, it is our work. We are called to the Human Sacrament of Real Presence whether that means sitting at the feet of the teacher or preparing and serving, because both respect the spirit of hospitality, both are the works of discipleship, and both are essential to a vital spirituality

In a few moments we will come to this table as one people united in the love and hospitality led by Jesus – the poor one from Nazareth. We will come as one family in relationship with God and with one another. When we come forward to share communion, I pray that we can each let our distractions leave us, allowing us the freedom to stand before the Real Presence of Christ welcoming the spirit of Divine Love into our hearts and into each encounter with one another. I pray that the Real Presence of Jesus that is revealed to us in the breaking of the bread will abide in us and enable us to be the real presence of God’s love for the world.

Brother Dennis is an Episcopal Christian monk, author, spiritual director, and practitioner of meditation and contemplative spirituality. He has been in 12-Step recovery since 1998 and has been a chaplain with the incarcerated since 2004. He has written hundreds of reflections and essays on life, recovery, and spirituality. He has authored two books: OBLIVION (2019) and THE GOSPEL LIFE (2021)