Esteban Redolad
As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her” (Lk 10:38-42).
The story of Martha and Mary has been used, through the centuries, to highlight the dichotomy between prayer and action, and to establish the distinction between the contemplative and the active life (and to give primacy to the contemplative vocation). There is however, a possible different assessment of the distinctive roles played by the two women. In the story Martha plays the typical feminine role (that is, according to the society of 2,000 years ago), while Mary becomes the prototypical disciple.
Martha was busy with all the chores that then, and still now, are expected to be performed by women in many cultures: cooking, cleaning, and house work in general. Mary, on the other hand, did what no one expected from a woman: to sit at the feet of the Master, that is, to be his disciple. And Jesus did what no master ever did: to have women disciples. “Martha, Martha”, Jesus will conclude, “Mary has chosen the better part”.
Martha was unable to move away from the chains of a patriarchal society in which her role was only subordinate. She was contented, even if she complained, with her role as a servant. Martha was debased by the weight of a male dominated culture, while Mary dared to assume a mission.
May the Marthas we all have inside, complainers but impoverished and degraded, give room to the Marys, unafraid, challengers, aware of our worth, of our potential and our mission.
As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her” (Lk 10:38-42).
The story of Martha and Mary has been used, through the centuries, to highlight the dichotomy between prayer and action, and to establish the distinction between the contemplative and the active life (and to give primacy to the contemplative vocation). There is however, a possible different assessment of the distinctive roles played by the two women. In the story Martha plays the typical feminine role (that is, according to the society of 2,000 years ago), while Mary becomes the prototypical disciple.
Martha was busy with all the chores that then, and still now, are expected to be performed by women in many cultures: cooking, cleaning, and house work in general. Mary, on the other hand, did what no one expected from a woman: to sit at the feet of the Master, that is, to be his disciple. And Jesus did what no master ever did: to have women disciples. “Martha, Martha”, Jesus will conclude, “Mary has chosen the better part”.
Martha was unable to move away from the chains of a patriarchal society in which her role was only subordinate. She was contented, even if she complained, with her role as a servant. Martha was debased by the weight of a male dominated culture, while Mary dared to assume a mission.
May the Marthas we all have inside, complainers but impoverished and degraded, give room to the Marys, unafraid, challengers, aware of our worth, of our potential and our mission.
