Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’ Luke 10:38-42
Sisters! I had three of them. We lost my sister Pegi in 1990 to cancer. I love my sisters and have three daughters who love their sisters as well. And sisters can truly drive each other absolutely crazy. Some are hard workers and others are able, on some regular basis, to wiggle out of the chores. I'm truly not sure that Jesus should have gotten in the middle of this debate. Mary may have chosen the "better" part, and the consequences, once the guests were gone, could have been quite awful. So whether we are Marthas or Marys, or somewhere in between, we need to live with the consequences of our choices.
Loving Creator, heart of all families
you set us in families and comunities
to share the challenges and the work
to share the bounty and the love.
We know there is no perfect family here
living together caused friction and strife
we often bicker and complain, feeling used
yet we fail to see how blessed we truly are.
Renew our hearts and hands today, Lord
let us be those who appreciate both the work
and the times of listening and learning
make us your family, Lord, here on earth. Amen.
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