Martha and Mary
"Christ in the House of Martha and Mary" by Tintoretto
Martha serves and Mary contemplates: Which one does the will of God? Both build the Body of the Church in their own way.
When Jesus and Lazarus recline at the table, Martha feeds their bodies. When Mary breaks open an alabaster jar to anoint Jesus with oil, she feeds His soul. We women know that most of our service to our families makes us Marthas more often than not. The luxury of being a Mary often doesn’t arrive until we can steal a few minutes for prayer and reflection. Usually, prayers are in the midst of a workday, while changing diapers or when preparing supper.
Last night, I was up at midnight reading even though I had to get up for work the next day. Our oldest son came into the kitchen and said, “Are you enjoying the solitude?” Smart kid! For a few minutes, the younger children and my husband were in bed and the house was still with no bickering or electronics beeping and zapping. There was only stillness for the few minutes I could steal to listen to the silence.
I’ve always loved reading and writing late into the night. The darkness quiets the mind and allows it to soar to heights beyond the mundane. If I worked into the night, I couldn’t get up at 7 a.m. for work to feed my family. Then again, I couldn’t bear to just go to work if I didn’t build in contemplative hours into my day, too.
