Martha: Patron Saint for Non-Winners

Today is the feast day of Martha---known as St. Martha in the Roman Catholic tradition.  Martha is a figure we met a couple times in the New Testament.  Probably the more famous of the two accounts comes in John’s Gospel when we hear the story of the raising of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha.  Clearly, the important person in this story is Lazarus.

The other reference to Martha comes in Luke’s Gospel.  This is a much shorter story and throughout history has been open to various interpretations.  In this story Jesus comes to have a meal with the sisters.  The sisters function in two different roles.  And often one of these roles is seen as a “higher” or more important role.  If this were a contest, Martha would become the patron saint for non-winners.  Let’s get a bit of the background.

In this Gospel story from Luke we read that Jesus came to a village where the sisters lived.  Right away we are told that Martha “welcomed him into her home.” (Lk 10:38)  I very much like this opening of this story.  I don’t know how else to read it other than Martha was the hospitable one.  Hospitality is a powerful witness of love and compassion for the “other”---whoever that other might be.  In order to appreciate fully the role that Martha plays, we need to value this hospitable welcome.

In the next verse we are told that Martha has a sister, Mary, and that Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying.” (10:39).  Quickly Mary’s action is contrasted with that of Martha.  We read that Martha was “distracted by her many tasks…” (10:40)  These two contrasting actions became throughout Christian history the two classical types of the Christian life: the active life (Martha) and the contemplative life (Mary).  And it was always tempting for those in monasteries and other more “serious” ways of being religious to say, or at least imply, that Mary had the “better role.”

This interpretation is reinforced apparently by the words of Jesus himself.  Martha complains (rightly?) that Mary asks, “do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?”  To me this always seemed like a legitimate question.  In fact, it strikes me as a question of justice.  In effect, Martha is saying, “this is not fair.”  In many ways I really don’t like the response of Jesus to Martha.  Effectively, he says to Martha, “you are too worried about things.”  And then he says, Mary has chosen the better part…” (10:42).  It is easy to see how this leads to preferential treatment for Mary and all the followers of Mary’s way.

However, I suspect far more people in life feel like they have been given the “Martha role” in life.  Even if we are not talking in religious terms, the Martha role is the dominant one in our world.  We hear it in phrases like, “you have to work for what you get” and “there is no free lunch.”  I dare say, many of us in the world don’t really appreciate the way Mary deals with Martha nor, even, how Jesus responds to Martha.  Basically, we feel like Martha gets a raw deal!

When I read this story, somehow it always feels like Mary comes up the winner---and I am not sure she should be the winner.  Of course, I doubt that the Gospel writer Luke and, probably, not Jesus himself wanted the story to be read as a “winners-losers” story.  But I am tempted to feel like Martha loses in this one.  I identify with her.

Of course, I don’t think Martha is an ultimate loser.  I do think Jesus loved her and had a clear sense of the value of her life, role and purpose.  In the moment it seems like she gets a raw deal.  In the end I am sure everything turns out well and she ultimately is a winner, not a loser.  And I believe that fate awaits all of us.  This story does not tell us what happened to Martha and Mary in the rest of the story. 

So I appreciate this is the feast day for Martha---she is honored.  Why does it matter to me?  It matters because I identify so much with Martha.  There have been countless times when I felt like I was doing more than my share, that I was being shortchanged by others, or that my efforts were not seen or were being ignored.  I felt like I was getting a raw deal.  If I raise my complaint, either I was not heard or got nothing to change my situation. 

It is easy to feel some anger here.  It is easy to feel like a non-winner.  This story and Martha have taught me an important lesson.  Even in spiritual matters there will be times I will not feel like a winner.  Either I don’t get what I feel I deserve or others will get what I thought I deserved.  Even if I complain, nothing will change.  I am tempted to feel like a loser.

But Martha was not a loser and neither am I.  In the story she simply does not seem to be the winner in the moment.  Apparently she learned a deeper lesson.  She says nothing further---no more complaints.  And I recall in the beginning that she was the hospitable one.  Hospitality is always a winning move.  She does not need to be the winner every time.  Thanks Martha, patron saint for non-winners.