Today’s Gospel seems to be an odd choice for today’s feast. We are celebrating Mary’s resurrection and ascension; and yet we hear about Martha and a very different Mary. Martha and Mary, with their brother Lazarus, are friends of Jesus. The Mary who goes up into heavenly places is the Mother of God;
- the one who gave birth to God;
- the one who sorrowed as God in Christ walked the Way of the Cross;
- the one who grieved as her God and Lord and Savior died, was taken down, and placed in her arms; and
- the one who then had the joy of seeing her Divine Son alive at Easter.
This Mother of God—she is the one whose Assumption into heaven we celebrate today. For this day reminds us that resurrection and ascension is not just a Jesus thing. It’s not simply for the Word who was made flesh and dwelt among us. God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself so that we might not remain in the graves, but may be raised from the dead and sit with Him in heavenly places. And that happens first with His holy Mother.
- The woman who was the shrine for the Word of God,
- who kept and retained the Word both in her heart and in her womb;
- the woman who gave birth to God the Word,
- who contained in her womb Him whom the whole world cannot contain;
- the woman who heeded Christ and urged others to listen to Him—she is the perfect model of true faith.
For she hears and believes. She believes and retains. And she retains and obeys.
Among all women, among all humans, only this holy virgin is called “blessed.” Blessed the womb which bore Christ, the breasts which nursed Him. Even more so, blessed is this one who hears and receives, welcomes and embraces, protects and nurtures, and then gives birth to God the Word; and then keeps and retains and does not let go of, or dismiss this Word.
Mary, the holy Mother of God, who is more honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim, who without defilement gave birth to God the Word—this woman is the exemplary ideal, the consummate standard, and the true representative of faith, love, hope, and obedience. It makes sense, then, that we celebrate her. Just as it makes sense that, before all others, she is the first to follow her Son into the heavenly realm.
But what’s that got to do with Martha? Or the other Mary? Why hear about them? It’s not because there’s no Gospel story about Mary’s ascension. Rather, it’s because this story teaches us about the Assumption of Our Lady better than any record of her ascension and reception into heaven.
Consider these two women. Martha is busy tending to Our Lord’s needs, and Mary is sitting at His feet drinking in His every Word. Yet they are not competing. One is not doing better than the other. For Our Lord says, “I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in.” Now, isn’t that exactly what Martha is doing—welcoming, feeding, and quenching the thirst of Jesus? How is this wrong? How is this bad?
So, let’s not think that Jesus is rebuking Martha, or chiding her for doing what He said we should do. Let’s not pit service against prayer; ministry against devotion; outreach to those in need against contemplation of Our Lord in His mysteries. That’s not what Jesus is doing—so we shouldn’t do it either.
So, then, what is Jesus doing, if He is not chiding or rebuking? He is, instead, showing us His holy Mother in her two very important and real aspects; and thereby teaching us who we are in two very necessary and significant ways.
Martha is holy Mary in this sense: she serves Our Lord, just as His mother gave up everything—children, reputation, ease, reduced stress, grandchildren and caretakers—she gave all of this up in order to serve the Lord Jesus. In order to change His diapers, help Him walk, read Him books, take Him to prayers, point out others needs, and overall tend for Him. Which is what Martha is doing. She is tending to Jesus—His very real, very necessary bodily and physical needs.
But this will pass. There will be a day when there is no more hunger or thirst, no more strangers or nakedness, no more hospitals or prisons, no more poverty or heartache—no more physical needs. What then will we do? Our Lord commands us to do these things—to care for those in need—but what will we do when all needs are met, when there is nothing more to do?
The better part, the best part, the one thing needful will be to rest in Our Lord, drinking in everything He is and has to give. And that’s what Mary is doing. Not just the Mary at Jesus’ feet in Martha’s home; but also the Mary who has ascended up into heaven. Her days of toil, her time tending to Jesus, her season of sorrow and grief—this is no more; this has all been done away. And so now she can rest.
So, this other Mary—the sister of Martha—she shows us what will be. She shows us the restful, beatific, eternal life where there are no more tears and sorrow—only Our Lord surrounded by His holy saints.
This other Mary shows us what we yearn for, and what we are working toward.
And now there’s the right mix. Working toward rest. Laboring to hear the Lord’s Word. Putting in time now in a godly way so that we might spend eternity at God’s table.
Mary—the holy Mother of God—shows us this. Her resurrection and assumption celebrate this dual life. Her feast today shows us that we can do both now—that we can be both Martha and Mary. Provided we keep things in perspective.
And what is the true perspective? Retain the Word
- which you hear,
- which you receive into your mouth,
- which settles into the core of your being—into your body and soul.
Retain that Word, so that you don’t work to work, but work for the heavenly rest in God. And don’t humble yourself to be humble, but humble yourself under the hand of God that He may lift you up—so that He may assume and ascend you—in due time. And don’t minister to win points, but minister to see God in the face of another and then in His fulness in the life to come. And finally don’t love to be loved, but love all persons—enemies and friends—because you have and rejoice in and will fully see the Love of God who is Our Lord Jesus Christ. To whom, with His Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, belongs all glory, honor, and worship: world without end.
