Sermon 103
SERMO 103
ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL, LUKE 10:38-42:
"And a certain woman named Martha welcomed him."
"That one into his house" and the rest
It must be directed towards one thing.
The words of our Lord Jesus Christ, which have just been recited from the Gospel, remind us that there is one thing to which we should strive, while we labor in the multitude of this world. Yet we strive as pilgrims, not yet settled; still on the road, not yet in our homeland; still desiring, not yet enjoying. Nevertheless, let us strive, and without sloth and without ceasing let us strive, so that we may eventually be able to reach it.
Christ is pleased to offer himself to be fed upon.
Martha and Mary were two sisters, both united not only in the flesh but also in their devotion; both clung to the Lord, both served the present Lord in the flesh harmoniously. Martha received Him as guests customarily are received. Yet, the servant received the Lord, the sick received the Savior, the creation received the Creator. However, she received the one to be fed by the Spirit, not needing to be fed in the flesh. For the Lord wished to take the form of a servant, and having taken the form of a servant, He chose to be fed by servants, by dignity, not by necessity. For even this was a dignity, to present Himself to be fed. He had flesh, in which He indeed hungered and thirsted: but do you not know that Angels ministered to Him when He was hungry in the wilderness? Therefore, what He willed to be fed, He granted to the one who fed Him. And what is surprising if He also granted a blessing to the widow through the holy Elijah, whom previously a raven ministered to? Did he fail to be fed when he was sent to the widow? By no means, but He chose to bless the religious widow through the service rendered to His servant. Thus the Lord was received as a guest, who came to His own, and His own did not receive Him: but to all who did receive Him, He gave the power to become children of God; adopting servants and making them brothers; redeeming captives and making them co-heirs. However, lest any of you perhaps say: O blessed are those who deserved to receive Christ into their own home! Do not be sorrowful, do not murmur because you were born in times when you no longer see the Lord in the flesh: He has not taken away this dignity from you. When you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me.
The duty of Martha and Mary is both good, but better is that of Mary.
These things about the Lord feeding in the flesh, but feeding in the spirit, we have spoken briefly for the time: let us come to the matter I proposed about unity. Martha, arranging and preparing to feed the Lord, was occupied with much ministry: her sister Mary chose rather to be fed by the Lord. In a certain way, she abandoned her sister laboring in much ministry, and she herself sat at the Lord’s feet, and being free, listened to His word. The most faithful ear had heard: “Be still, and know that I am the Lord.” Martha was troubled, Mary feasted: Martha managed many things, Mary looked at one. Both services were good: but yet, what is better, what shall we say? We have whom to ask, let us hear together. What is better, we have already heard when it was read, and let us hear again by my reminding. Martha appeals to the guest, places before the judge her petition of pious complaints, that her sister had left her, and thus laboring in ministry neglected to help her. Mary, not responding but being present, the Lord judges. Mary preferred to entrust her case to the judge as if idle, nor did she wish to labor in answering. For if she prepared a speech in response, she would remit the attention of hearing. Therefore the Lord answered, who in speech did not labor, because He was the Word. What did He say then? "Martha, Martha," the repetition of a name is an indication of affection, or perhaps of arousing attention: to listen more attentively, she was called twice: "Martha, Martha, listen: You are troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary:" that is, one thing is needed. Not one work as a singular work: but it is necessary, it is expedient, it is needed; which this one thing Mary has chosen.
One thing is necessary.
Consider one thing, my brothers, and see if in this multitude anything delights but the one. Behold, by the grace of God, how many of you there are: who could bear you if you did not think as one? Whence in the many is this peace? Give one, and it is a people: take away one, and it is a crowd. For what is a crowd, but a disturbed multitude? But hear the Apostle: I beseech you, brothers. He was speaking to the multitude, but he wished to make all one. But I beseech you, brothers, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no schisms among you; but be perfect in the same mind and in the same judgment. And in another place: Be of one mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. And the Lord to the Father concerning his own: That they may be one, even as we are one. And in the Acts of the Apostles: Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul. Therefore magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. For one thing is necessary, that one thing which is above, where the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are one. See that unity is commended to us. Certainly, our God is Trinity. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Father, the Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son, but the Spirit of both: and yet these three are not three gods, nor three almighties, but one almighty God, the Trinity itself one God: because one thing is necessary. To this one thing we are led, unless many of us have one heart.
The good part of Martha is her service, but Mary's part is better.
Good are the ministries to the poor, and especially to the saints of God, the due services, the religious duties. For they are given back, not given, as the Apostle says: If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? These are good, we exhort you to these, and build you up in the word of the Lord, do not be lazy to receive the saints. Sometimes unknowingly, by receiving those they did not know, they received angels. These things are good: however, it is better what Mary chose. For that entails necessary occupation; but this involves sweetness from charity. A man wishes to assist when he ministers; and sometimes he cannot: what is lacking is sought, what is present is prepared; the mind is stretched. For if Martha were sufficient for those things, she would not ask for her sister's aid. They are many, they are diverse because they are carnal, because they are temporal: and even if they are good, they are transitory. But what did the Lord say to Martha? Mary has chosen the better part. Not that you chose a bad, but she a better. Hear why it is better: Because it will not be taken away from her. The burden of necessity will be taken away from you at times: the sweetness of truth is eternal. What she chose will not be taken away from her. It will not be taken away, but it will be increased. In this life, it is increased, in the other life, it will be perfected, it will never be taken away.
The ministry of Martha aims at the rest of Mary.
However, you, Martha, I would say with your permission, blessed in good service, seek a reward for your labor, rest. Now you are occupied with much ministry, you wish to feed mortal bodies, albeit of saints: when you come to that homeland, will you find a stranger to welcome with hospitality? Will you find a hungry person to whom you can break bread? A thirsty person to whom you can offer drink? A sick person to visit? A disputing person to reconcile? A dead person to bury? All these things will not be there: but what will be there? What Mary chose: there we will be fed, not feed. Therefore, what Mary chose here will be full and perfect there: from that opulent table, she was gathering crumbs from the word of the Lord. For do you want to know what will be there? The Lord himself says of his servants: Truly I say to you, he will make them recline, and he will come and serve them. What does it mean to recline, except to rest? What does it mean to recline, except to be at leisure? What does it mean: He will come and serve them? First, he comes and so serves. But where? In that heavenly banquet, of which he says: Truly, I say to you, many will come from the east and the west and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. There, the Lord feeds, but first he comes from here. For as you must know, Passover is interpreted as Passage. The Lord came, did divine things, suffered human things. Is he still spat upon? Is he still struck? Is he still crowned with thorns? Is he still scourged? Is he still crucified? Is he still wounded with a spear? He has passed. Therefore, even the Gospel speaks thus when he made Passover with his disciples. What does the Gospel say? When the time had come for Jesus to pass from this world to the Father. Therefore, he passed, to feed: we follow, to be fed.