27th Week OT (T)
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
Notre Dame Seminary, NOLA
When
I want to learn something new, I first find a way to teach it to
someone else. The messy work of jumping into an intellectual project
w/o a clear plan of attack doesn't bother me. I don’t have to know
every text, every authority, every footnote. Living is mostly about
introductions, anyway: bits and pieces, snapshots, and collections.
But to make sense of all of my collected snapshots, I need a bigger
introduction, a larger story. Something to fit My Story into The
Story, so that My Story doesn’t end up as a knock-knock joke or a
fortune cookie proverb. This need for a bigger explanation, a grander
script is basic to human flourishing. We are pattern-making animals
created to love the One Who made us. Because we have heard the Good
News and received the Father's mercy, we sit at the feet of the
Teacher who is himself the Biggest Story, the Grandest Script, and we
let him coach us through our ignorance, our rebellion, and our pride.
He is the Gift that turns our wandering into wonder, and pushes us
out to give all we have received.
To
be properly taught, we must bring one small gift to The Teacher. We
must bring the shiny red apple of humility! To be taught – properly
taught – is to be changed, turned around and upside down, and made
new. Wooo! Can you feel the anxiety! Changed?! Made new?! Teeth
clench. Fingers form a fist. And humility is trapped, trapped by
worry, by anxious need. We cannot give ourselves fully to the Teacher
if we will not unclench our teeth and relax our fists – those busy,
busy, hands that seem to believe that determination and hard work
will eventually earn us salvation. Any sort of earned-salvation is
never worth the work. We cannot be saved by anything made by human
hands. There's a better way – the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Jesus teaches Martha by telling her that Mary has chosen the better
way. But Mary is just lazy and wants to avoid work, right? No. And
Martha is trapped in a socially constructed, oppressive gender role
that forces her to serve the patriarchy, right? No. Jesus teaches
Martha that Mary has chosen the better path b/c she, Martha, is
“anxious and worried about many things.” Martha, sister, where is
your humility?!
We
could ask Martha: “Martha, does your worrying about many things
proclaim the Christ in you? Are you presenting yourself as perfect in
Christ when you flail around the room throwing off anxiety like
clothes set on fire?” Martha might answer, “I am showing our Lord
honor by serving him. And Mary is lollygagging at his feet doing
nothing!” So, maybe the question we need to ask is: what is it to
serve the Lord, and how is that service an honor to him? Martha
argues that being up and moving, doing something productive, serves
the Lord. It's true. Manual labor does honor the Lord b/c it shows a
willingness to work for his sake. Mary seems to be arguing that
sitting at the Lord’s feet, listening to him teach, serves him. And
he is honored best by allowing him to serve her as her Teacher. The
Lord says to all this, “Mary has chosen the better part…” Yes,
she has. Not b/c doing good work in the Lord's name is dishonorable,
but b/c doing good work in the Lord's name out of fear and worry and
anxiety is. Humility never leads to worry. Humility always brings us
to peace and docility. Sure, anxiety, worry, and fear can motivate
hard work. But hard work – alone – can never bring peace. Mary
chooses the better part, the Big Picture. She chooses in humility to
allow Christ to be her teacher.
Choose
the better part. No. Choose the best.
_________________________
Follow HancAquam or Subscribe ----->
No comments:
Post a Comment