Martha and Mary
"As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, 'Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.' At once they left their nets and followed him." (Matthew 4:18-20)
“The story of Martha and Mary (see Lk 10:38-42) is placed within the context of mission…The fatigue and burden of the mission they [Jesus and the disciples] find generous hospitality with two sisters. Martha is introduced first; most likely she is the older of the two and owner of the house, since it is expressly called “hers.” Furthermore, Mary is introduced in relation to Martha: She had a sister named Mary” (v. 39). The two sisters relate to Jesus in very different ways. Martha is concerned with offering him a beautiful welcome, which includes performing “many tasks.” Mary, instead, “seated herself at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teachings.” What we have here is more likely an idiomatic expression. “To stay at the feet of” someone means to be a disciple of that person…Martha’s house cannot limit itself to being a place of refreshment. By the fact that he Master is present, it becomes a place of evangelization, a place of the Word, Bet hammidrash, that is, “a house of study and interpretation of Scriptures,” open not only to men but to women as well.”
Women at the Service of the Gospel, General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI, 02/14/07
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