Prepare a place for Jesus’ intimacy

This is our last blog post this Advent. Thank you for coming on this journey with us!

We have our retreat Saturday morning at Immaculate Conception church (in the downstairs hall) from 8:00 to Noon. Fr. Murray offered to start the retreat with Mass at 8:00am. This Friday evening, before the retreat, adoration and confession also will be available in the chapel at Immaculate Conception church from 6pm to 7pm. We’ll start the retreat right after Mass with some food and drink, a time for welcoming, setup, and introductions. We’ll get started with the first talk by 9am.

If you are not joining us at the retreat, but would like to have transcripts or videos of the talk, or the retreat workbook, reach out to info@willtolove.com. If you are remote from Salem, consider finding a place to spend in Adoration, reflecting on God asking you “What do you want me to do for you?”

Also we would love it if you could complete our survey/review: https://forms.gle/9GYS4BuQ29b7spnp9

For our final reflection, the Gospel of Luke (10:38-42) and the Gospel of John (11:1-2, 12:1-8) both describe, in different ways, Jesus having dinner in Bethany at the house of Martha. Luke tells us that, “As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him” (Lk 10:38). John tells us this village was Bethany and it was six days before the Passover, after which he would enter Jerusalem for the final time.

Martha had a sister, Mary, and a brother, Lazarus, the one whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Both Luke and John are clear that Martha did the serving. Lazarus reclined at the table.

According to Luke, it was Mary who “sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.” Luke’s description is especially interesting because Mary is taking the position of a disciple.

According to John, it was Mary who “took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” The symbolism of this action combines servanthood (who out of hospitality washes the feet of a guest), acknowledging a king (through the anointing with oil), prophecy (the burial ointment signifying Jesus would die soon), and intimacy (a 1^st century Jewish woman would not let down her hair).

In Luke, Martha complained about Mary not helping; In John, it was Judas complaining about Mary using the oil he though should be sold. Jesus admonished them both. Jesus said to Martha, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” Jesus said to Judas, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

In some ways, this scene resembles what can happen internally, within each of us. We often listen to our internal voices that sound like Martha or Judas, who may be keeping us busy and active – and who may be critical of that part of us that just needs to spend time with Jesus.

How often this Advent have we been focusing on what we do to serve our loved ones, like decorating, buying gifts, cooking, planning, traveling, and attending events?  Or, how much do we focus on issues of social justice, like serving the poor and helping the homeless? What are our real reasons for doing these things? We might think that we are doing these things “for Jesus” or out of love for the other people in our lives, but are they making us busy, distracted, and anxious? Are we doing them out of pride or other benefit to ourselves – to make ourselves feel better, look better? Do we have a place to rest in the midst of all our busyness to make sure that we are with Jesus, and are being the hands, feet, heart, and voice of Jesus?

While doing things for our loved ones and for the poor is important, when our actions are not centered in love of Jesus, they actually can lead us away from Jesus, away from being loving.

At our retreat on Saturday, we will end by spending intimate time with Jesus at his feet, just like Mary did. We will get to sit at his feet like a disciple. We will get to offer ourselves intimately to him like a servant who anoints his feet, who acknowledges him as king, who proclaims his death and professes his Resurrection until he comes again.

When we choose this better part, we can listen to Jesus tell us how he sees us, how he loves us, and what he is calling us to do. And we can ask for his grace to enable us to choose Him – whatever he is calling us to do.

Have a Merry Christmas.