Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, Johannes Vermeer, 1655; visit in the Scottish National Gallery of Edinburgh
When St Martha was overwhelmed by life, she turned to Jesus. He told her, "You are anxious and worried about many things, but there is only one thing necessary" (Luke 10). When she was grieving her brother's death, she again turned to Jesus.
Here's what I like about Martha: she's quite direct with Jesus.'Can't you see I'm doing all the work alone? Can you tell her to help me out?' she says. And later, in the agony of grief:Â 'My brother wouldn't have died if you hadn't been late,'
Her blunt familiarity with God reminds me that Jesus is a real, living man with whom we can interact closely and comfortably and honestly. But even in her frankness, Martha never ends with her own will. She speaks openly with Jesus but always receives her Friend's response with genuine willingness to change. She sits down. She listens. She comes closer. She triumphs over her own will by choosing the one thing necessary.
Life is hard. And so often painful. Maybe we should not be seeking what can never be found here: hearts safe from breaking. Maybe our hearts cannot be both free and guarded. Maybe we should instead let our hearts break wide open like Martha, and then sit like Mary, holding crucified Love, weeping and empty. Maybe pain cuts away the hedges of pride and judgment and insecurity and comparison and selfishness better than any other knife. Maybe the greatest truth and the only, only hope we have is the same one Martha had: that we are not alone, and God is with us.
Martha's feast is July 29, shared with her siblings, St Mary and St Lazarus.
Comments