July 21, Ordinary 16C (Luke 10:38-42)

There are not all that many named women in the Gospels. If asked to come up with a list, we might start with Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene; before long we would get to Mary and Martha, the subjects of this week’s reading from Luke. This is one of those stories that provokes howls of rage from some readers. Like the parable of the prodigal son, it can trip our “That’s not fair!” switch. It’s easy to see how the good Samaritan can be the model for our behavior. The Mary and Martha story prickles us more.

Many of us women were raised to be like Martha. I have a friend who won’t even let herself exercise until her household chores are done, so ingrained is the idea of “work first, play later.” Others don’t let themselves play in any context. How sad is it that we don’t see play as its own reward, as worthy of our attention as the chores?

Think about the last time that someone visited your home. Perhaps you spent the days or even weeks before their arrival getting ready: cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, doing laundry, restoring order. Sometimes the process of getting ready for the arrival of guests can leave us too exhausted to enjoy their visit.