Martha and Mary - Endowed with hidden power

Icon of St. Mary of
 Bethany (Sister of Ss.
 Lazarus & Martha)
By: Nicholas Papas 

Question: What is the meaning of Martha saying to the Lord about Mary: “I am busy about many things and here she sits at your feet” (Lk 10:41)?

Answer: What Mary ought to have said to Martha, the Lord, anticipating her remark, said to her- that Mary had left everything to sit at the feet of the Lord and to bless God throughout the whole day. You see, the value of her sitting came from her love. To understand more clearly God’s Word, listen. If anyone loves Jesus and really gives oneself attentively to him and not in a superficial way, but also perseveres in love, God is already planning to reward that soul for that love, even though the person does not know what he is about to receive or what portion God is about to bestow on him. Indeed, when Mary loved Jesus and sat at his feet, Jesus did not merely place himself alongside her, but he endowed her with a certain hidden power from his very own being. For the words which God spoke to Mary in peace were in-breathing and of a certain power. And these words penetrated her heart and brought his soul to her soul, his Spirit to her spirit, and a divine power filled her heart. That power necessarily, wherever it is released, remains there as a possession which cannot be taken away. For this reason the Lord, who knew what he had given to Mary, said: “Mary has chosen the good part” (Lk 10:42). But not long after, the works of service, that Martha kindly performed, brought her also to that gift of grace. She also received the divine power in her soul.

From The Magnificat - an excerpt taken from the book: Pseudo-Macarius, The Fifty Spiritual Homilies & the Great Letter.