Moving Toward Jerusalem

Homily for Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

In Luke 9:51, we read: "When the days for his being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem." From that point until Jesus arrives in Jerusalem in Luke 19, much of the Gospel unfolds within what scholars often call the "travel narrative" or "journey section."

Seen in that light, today's Gospel of Martha and Mary is not simply a lesson about prayer versus work. It occurs while Jesus is on the way. As he journeys toward his passion, death, and resurrection, he forms his disciples by teaching them what truly matters. Mary's posture, seated at the Lord's feet and listening, is the posture of a disciple. Before they can accompany Jesus to Jerusalem, they must learn to hear his word.

This also sheds light on Martha. She welcomes Jesus into her home, a beautiful act of hospitality. Yet even a good thing can become a distraction if it draws attention away from the One who is passing through on his way to Jerusalem. Luke may be asking us: How do we travel with Jesus? Do we become so occupied with the demands of the journey that we lose sight of the traveler?

There is another dimension that often strikes me. Jesus has set his face toward Jerusalem knowing what awaits him there. The shadow of the cross already lies across this journey. In that context, Mary's attentiveness becomes even more poignant. She recognizes, perhaps more than Martha, the preciousness of this moment with Jesus. The Lord who is moving steadily toward his self-giving love invites his friends first to be present with him.

Martha and Mary are encountered by Jesus who is already on the road to Jerusalem, and Luke invites us to ask how we are accompanying him on that journey. Prayer is not an escape from discipleship; it is how we learn to walk behind the Lord whose face is set toward the cross and resurrection.