We have just read in the Gospel according to Luke the episode of the hospitality given to Jesus by Martha and Mary. These two sisters, in the history of Christian spirituality, have been understood as emblematic figures referring, respectively, to action and contemplation: Martha is busy with housework, while Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus to listen to his word. We can glean two lessons from this Gospel text.
First, Jesus' final sentence should be noted: 'Mary has chosen the better part, which shall not be taken away from her'. He thus strongly emphasises the fundamental and irreplaceable value that listening to the Word of God has for our existence: it must be our constant point of reference, our light and our strength. But we must listen to it.
It is necessary to know how to be silent, to create spaces of solitude or, better, of meeting reserved for intimacy with the Lord. We must know how to contemplate. Man today feels a great need not to limit himself to pure material concerns, and instead to supplement his technical culture with superior and detoxifying inputs from the world of the spirit. Unfortunately, our daily life risks or even experiences cases, more or less widespread, of inner pollution. But the contact of faith with the word of the Lord purifies us, uplifts us and restores our energy.
Therefore, we must always keep before the eyes of our hearts the mystery of love, with which God has come to meet us in his Son, Jesus Christ: the object of our contemplation is all here, and from here comes our salvation, the redemption from every form of alienation and especially from that of sin. In essence, we are invited to do as the other Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who "kept all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Lk 2:19). It is on this condition that we will not be one-dimensional men, but rich in God's own greatness.
But there is a second lesson to learn; and that is that we must never see a contrast between action and contemplation. Indeed, we read in the Gospel that it was "Martha" (and not Mary) who welcomed Jesus "into her house". Moreover, today's First Reading suggests to us the harmony between the two: the episode of the hospitality granted by Abraham to the three mysterious characters sent by the Lord, who, according to an ancient interpretation, are even images of the Holy Trinity, teaches us that even with our most minute daily tasks we can serve the Lord and be in contact with him. And, as this year marks the 15th centenary of St Benedict's birth, let us recall his famous motto: 'Pray and work', Ora et labora! These words contain an entire programme: not of opposition but of synthesis, not of contrast but of fusion between two equally important elements.
The result is a very concrete lesson for us, which can be expressed in the form of a question: to what extent are we able to see in contemplation and prayer a moment of genuine charge for our daily tasks? And, on the other hand, to what extent are we able to innervate our work to the core with a leavening communion with the Lord? These questions can serve for an examination of conscience and become a stimulus for a resumption of our daily life, which is both more contemplative and more active.
[Pope John Paul II, homily 20 July 1980]
