A Reflection on the Narrative of Mary and Martha for Apologists, Pastors, Witnesses and Christians in General

The Gospel reading for Pentecost 6 (7/7/22), Year C is St. Luke 10:38–42:  the one about Mary and Martha.  It reminded me of an essay by C. S. Lewis, “Christian Apologetics”.  Apologetics, in the Church, is giving a defense of the  Faith delivered to the saints once and for all. The root word of “apologetics” is apology, likewise, it means “defense”.  If you asked most people what is an apology, the answer would “I am sorry” as in, “I apologize for stepping on your foot…I didn’t see it.”  Note what the defense is for the hurt, I didn’t see it.  Confession would be, I am sorry for stepping on your foot, please forgive me.  In other words, for sin, I have no defense. The word “apology” is well known to many Lutherans because of the 2^nd work in the Book of Concord is The Apology of the Augsburg Confession, that is, defense.  Mr. Lewis debated many times, as an apologist, in England.  Maybe he was one of the chief Christian apologists in the 20^th Century.  At the end of essay cited above, Mr. Lewis has a kind of significant note which I thought of when studying the narrative of Mary and Martha…and Jesus:

I have found that nothing is more dangerous to one’s own faith than the work of an apologist. No doc­ trine of that Faith seems to me so spectral, so unreal as one that I have just successfully defended in a public debate. For a moment, you see, it has seemed to rest on oneself: as a result, when you go away from that debate, it seems no stronger than that weak pillar. That is why we apologists take our lives in our hands and can be saved only by falling back continually from the web of our own arguments, as from our intellectual counters, into the Reality- from Christian apologetics into Christ Himself. That also is why we need one another’s continual help – oremus pro invicem (‘Let us pray for each other’).”

I think it is apropos to substitute “pastor”, “witness to the faith” for apologist.  We may begin to think the Lord and His Word and Mission rests on me.  Personally, per Lewis’ last comment, the worst day for me, after preaching on Sunday, and preparing for it the week before, is Monday…even Sunday afternoon.  Someone called this time for a pastor, PSD, Post Service Depression, after the high of God’s Word on Sunday, comes Monday morning and spiritually it is a dangerous time, just as Mr. Lewis note, coming away from a debate, “…no stronger than that weak pillar.”  Just like Martha, who thought all her warm hospitality rested on herself.  Or a pastor or a witness thinking it all rests on ourselves. She became as Jesus noted, anxious and worried about many things. Like Martha, we can become very anxious thinking that the whole of life depends on ME.  Mary, though, chose, the “good portion”: it depends on Thee, O Lord. We need to fall back, “…into Christ Himself”.  We need to hear again the Word, Arise, you are forgiven.  You didn’t create the day, I did, says the Lord. I save, you don’t. So, let us pray for each other.