The Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary; Kievan-Caves Icon of the Mother of God (1073), and Zarvanytsia
Feast of the Mother of God. Holy Day of Obligation.
Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 10:38-42, 11:27-28.
Read Luke 10:38-42, 11:27-28
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Like several other passages in Luke, the evangelist presents us with a surprising contrast. Like the prodigal son and his older brother, or the publican and the Pharisees, today’s episode creates a contrast between two individuals. On one hand is Martha (or the older brother, or the Pharisee), faithfully following the social conventions of the day – obedience to parents, faithfulness to the law, the rule of hospitality – but still missing something important. On the other hand is Mary, who is so taken up in the words of Jesus that she forgets about hospitality. According to the standards of her culture (and certainly those of her sister), Mary has missed the point.
But, according to Jesus, she has recognized a fundamental truth, “the one thing needful.” To be fair, Martha is not neurotic – one commentator describes all her tasks as objectively overwhelming. But the fact that Martha is distracted by a real thing does not take away from the fact that she is distracted. She has failed to recognize who her guest really is. Mary, meanwhile, sees that she’s in no position to provide a service to Jesus – rather, she has to receive from him! This paradox is at the core of the Christian life: we can’t give anything until we realize that, when we come to Christ, we have nothing to give. This is what Mary realizes at Jesus’ feet; this is what Mary, the Mother of God, knows and acts on in her whole life; this is what Jesus points to when he pronounces blessed everyone who first hears the word of God, and then does it. This is our calling as disciples: to sit at the feet of the master and receive.