Active Contemplation

Today, we remember St Martha, the sister of Lazarus and Mary of Bethany. Martha is one of those saints who is often remembered for falling short of the mark; St Thomas the apostle is another. He is often remembered for being the doubter of the resurrection, and she is often remembered as not choosing “the better part” (Luke 10:42). 

Many have taken this passage to mean that those who live a quiet contemplative life as a religious sister or brother are in some way better than those who don’t. Yet, this is not what Jesus implies. Rather, we may very well understand Jesus to mean that we can go about frantic in life wondering how we will serve the Lord (and be stressed by how we look before Him) or we can chose “the better part” and simply listen to him tell us what he desires to say. 

Joe, I believe, acted as Martha should have acted. Yes, serve the Lord. Provide food and shelter for Him. Yet, do so quietly—not seeking to have others conform to our own wishes. I have often wondered, when Joe and Jesus worked together, did one or the other speak, or did they simply work in silence—listening to that “light  silent sound” (1 Kings 19:12) within them? I have to believe that there was a mixture of speaking and silence, but I think Joe would have found great consolation in listening to Jesus while they worked. In other words, Joe is a model active contemplative.