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Welcome to OneLife Ministries. This site is designed to lead you prayerfully into a heart experience of Divine Presence, Who is Love. While it focuses on Christian teaching, I hope persons of varied faiths will find inspiration here. Indeed, "God" can be whatever image helps us trust in the Sacred, by whatever means Grace touches us each. Please share this ministry with others, and please return soon. There is a new offering daily. And to be placed on the daily OneLife email list, to request notifications of new writings or submit prayer requests, write to briankwilcox@yahoo.com .
Blessings,
Brian Kenneth Wilcox MDiv, MFT, PhD
Interspiritual Pastor-Teacher, Author, Workshop Leader,
Spiritual Counselor, and Chaplain.
Scripture
38Now as they [Jesus and his followers] went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." 41But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."
*Luke 10, NRSV (Anglicized Edition)
Spiritual Teaching
Jesus enters the home of three dear friends – Martha, Mary, Lazarus -, but only the women are in this story. Initially, the focus is on the older sister. Martha “welcomes” Jesus. Her character is accented, also, by the mention that this domicile was “her home.” Ironic, seeing Lazarus is the male, in a male culture. So, the story affirms Martha's position in the family.
Mary is the literary foil for her older sister. Mary is described simply as “a sister named Mary.” She is Martha's sister. Martha continues to have the prominent role in the story.
The narrative mentions, innocently and subtly, something which will prove determinative for the plot. The text reads: Mary “sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying.” In contrast, Martha is in the kitchen busied, anxious, and apparently fuming, being “distracted” by her preparation of a meal. She comes out of the kitchen to implore Jesus to get Mary to get in the kitchen.
Jesus responds to Martha. He reflects back to Martha her hurried and harried state of mind. He says, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things.” He does not say anything about the rightness or wrongness of Martha preparing a meal. Yet, his words may imply a critique of Martha being occupied with a lesser good at that time. Likewise, Jesus may be speaking of a general trait of Martha, not just what is happening in the moment. Possibly, Martha was one of those persons who identified overly with being task-oriented, and this one time exemplifies that trait. Many persons are like that, and come to identify identity with accomplishment.
What is Mary doing? She is practicing not-doing. She sits at the Master's feet, listening, soaking in Jesus' presence and teaching. Mary is practicing attention, awareness, and receptivity. Mary is being mindful, and her energies are focused on one matter – receiving what her Beloved is and is saying. The last thing on Mary's mind is food preparation, or eating. Ironically, and humorously, we can see Mary as a foil of the many in church services who "must" get out in one hour, and seem to think getting to eat on time is more important than the Master's presence and teaching. Or is it that the Master is not present enough in those churches? Possibly, spiritual dullness and laziness combine in lack of mindfulness and ardency in many local congregations.
But what is the Story beyond the story in this narrative? Who is Martha? Who is Mary? I do not mean the historical persons. What do these persons represent?
Martha is that part of us that resists centering, calming down, and paying attention to our spirit, and to God. Our Martha is distracted. She will find any number of good things to do to avoid quiet and listening from the spirit, to the Spirit. Yet, our Martha gets exhausted and may complain about lack of time to do devotions and pray, and murmur like a victim of the needs of those around her. Martha says, “If only others did not make so many demands of me.” She says, “I really want more to pray and meditate, but I've got so many things to do, I just don't find the time.” Martha says, “If others would contribute more, I'd take better care of myself spiritually. But someones gotta do all this, or it won't get done.” Martha even will do many religious or spiritual things, and totally miss the Master's Presence and Teaching – preparing for the church potluck dinner, feeding the homeless, teaching in Vacation Bible School, serving on the Finance Committee, acting as Chair of the Missions Team, …
Now, what about Mary? Mary is that aspiration within us to slow down, calm down, breathe down, and focus on nurturing our relationship with the Master. Mary may have been busy getting the house ready for the Master, but when the Master appeared, Mary stopped, sat, and listened. Mary is you and I when we stop, sit, and listen.
Note, though, the Master never says to Martha that being occupied with preparing a meal is wrong. Rather, Jesus appears to be speaking to one context, the present, and to a general priority to take time to stop, sit, and listen as a regular practice. And Jesus certainly never says Mary is exempt from housework.
The text confirms a general need. Likewise, Jesus is saying, at this moment, Mary has done the one thing needed. He appears to be affirming to Martha that the situational-best, at the moment, would be to forget the meal and join Mary.
What we seek is balance. Some persons are more Mary. Some persons more Martha. Each is to seek a healthy balance for himself or herself. Likewise, we each need to respect and encourage spiritual friends to honor their balance. I find little respect in most churches for Marys, and many churches suffer spiritually from an over-esteem for the Martha-type and an under-esteem of the Mary-type. This is a reason most churches are busy but spiritually shallow.
Metaphysically we know that both Martha and Mary represent aspects in our own individual consciousness, and it's here that the power of the story becomes clear. How often do I let the Martha in me become overwhelmed by all the demands of my human existence, so that I don't have time to meditate, or pray, or just to sit quietly in the Christ Presence that is always my true identity! Those demands have to be recognized, of course, but they don't have to overwhelm the Mary within us eager to simply be in Spirit. Of course, Mary also needs to recognize that human chores are a part of the journey. So it isn't about making either sister wrong. It's about recognizing the need for balance. And when the Christ comes calling, maybe the dishes can wait a while.
*Rev. Ed Townley. “Interpret This with Rev. Ed.” “Luke 10.38-42 'Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village...'.” Oct. 07, 2009. www.unity.org .
SITTING WITH THE MASTER
In the following exercise, the Master is Jesus. However, it can be for you whatever metaphor speaks of God, the Sacred, or your spirit. You choose. Now, let us proceed...
1.Position your body comfortably, spine erect, and close your eyes.
2.Ground yourself in your physical sensations. Close your eyes and slowly become aware of the sensations of your physical body. Feel the sensations as they flow through you. … in your head … neck and shoulders … elbows … wrists and the palms … knees … ankles … soles of feet.
3.Now move your attention to the region just below your navel, the heart region, or the center between the eyes and about one-half inch upward.
4.Envision yourself sitting before Jesus in a home. Jesus is teaching. You are being a Mary. See and sense the surroundings. What is Jesus saying? How does it feel to be in His Presence? What does the environment feel like? Enjoy His Presence.
5.At some point, you may wish to ask Jesus something. If you do, receive the answer. Continue the conversation as long as you wish.
6.Before leaving this meditation, get up and approach Jesus. You may give him a hug, a kiss, a hug and kiss, or shake his hand. Do as appropriate to express your Love for Him. Thank Him for the time you two spent together. Say anything else you want to.
7.When ready, let yourself come back to full, everyday consciousness – but slowly. Let the feeling return to each part of your body, before you get up.
Responding
1.What was the above experience of the practice “Sitting with the Master” like for you? Would you like to practice this Practice more? If so, how do you see it might help you?
2.Think of ways consciously to honor your balance of Mary and Martha needs. Consider how you might support family and friends to do the same.
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*OneLife Ministries is a ministry of Brian Kenneth Wilcox, SW Florida. Brian lives a vowed life and with his two dogs, Bandit Ty and St. Francis, with friends and under a vow of simplicity. Brian is an ecumenical-interspiritual leader, who chooses not to identify with any group, and renounces all titles of sacredness that some would apply to him, but seeks to be open to how Christ manifests in the diversity of Christian denominations and varied religious-spiritual traditions. He affirms that all spiritual paths lead ultimately back to Jesus Christ. He is Senior Chaplain for the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, Punta Gorda, FL.
*Brian welcomes responses to his writings or submission of prayer requests at briankwilcox@yahoo.com . Also, Brian is on Facebook: search Brian Kenneth Wilcox.
*Contact the above email to book Brian for preaching, Spiritual Direction, retreats, workshops, animal blessing services, house blessings, or other spiritual requests. You can order his book An Ache for Union from major booksellers.
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