Weekly HOMILY for July 18, 2010: Martha and Mary: Animus and Anima

16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Bon Secours Spiritual Center
July 18, 2010

Martha and Mary: Animus and Anima
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


Letting Our Souls Catch Up

There is a story told by Terry Hershey about a group of Americans who hired a guide to take them on a safari to the wilds of the African Serengeti.

Their guide assured them that is was a long long way.

The 1st day they rise very very early, go very very fast, and get very very far
The 2nd day they rise very very early, go very very fast, and get very very far
The 3rd day they rise very very early, go very very fast, and get very very far

The end of the day the guide was nowhere to be found. They finally discover him sitting in a meditative posture in the high grass and ask him, “Why aren’t we hurrying forward?”

He replies, “I’m not going.” “Not going! Why not?” they ask. I simply have to wait for my soul to catch up with my body!

We know well the feeling when our souls become detached from our bodies. We’re out of joint, out of kilter.


The Story, Luke, and the Gospel

That African guide’s point is precisely what Jesus is talking about in today’s story about Martha and Mary.

To understand this passage, we need to remember its context in Luke’s Gospel. Not to do this would be like evaluating a club sandwich by looking only at the bacon, lettuce, and tomato and not at the kind of bread that it is on.

Just before this story about Martha and Mary, Saint Luke recalls Jesus telling the parable of the Good Samaritan. We heard this at Mass last weekend. That parable illustrates the commandment regarding the love of neighbor.

Today, Jesus is not putting down the love of neighbor nor is he saying that is not as important as the love of God.

Instead, he is calling for a balance – much like the African guide was seeking a balance of his soul and body.


Martha and Mary – Balance

We are told that Martha was “very busy with all the details of hospitality” that is she was “Rising very very early, going very very fast, and getting very very far.”

Apparently, Martha was preparing a full course meal, from shrimp cocktail right through to Crème Brulle. Jesus says, “Martha, you are anxious about so many things; one thing only is necessary.”

This does not mean that Jesus is asking for a simple bologna sandwich and nothing else. What he is saying is: “Martha, you’ve got to make sure that you are seeking God’s kingdom, because if you are not, everything else counts for nothing.”

In other words, busyness and caring for others become empty, if we are not tending to our relationship with God. And at the same time, our relationship with God is incomplete without real-life caring for others.

The issue is a question of balance. Again, it is something like the African guide saying that his soul needed to catch up with his body.


The Animus and the Anima

My guess is that many of us tend to be Marthas. We tend to be busy and active. We live by calendars and schedules and lists of things we have to get done.

The famous psychiatrist Carl Jung gives us a helpful insight into all of this. Jung talks about the difference between the “animus” (a-n-i-m-u-s) or our masculine traits, and the “anima” (a-n-i-m-a) or our feminine traits.

In this Gospel story, Martha represents the “animus.” She is assertive, logical, and well organized.

She tends toward power and control, so when she herself cannot control Mary’s behavior, she seeks out someone – Jesus – who might be able to control her.

On the other hand, Mary represents the “anima.” She is sensitive, gentle, and nurturing.

Notice, she is more focused on relationships than on tasks. She is more concerned with understanding than with controlling.

Carl Jung says that both the “animus” and the “anima” are needed. All of us – regardless of our gender –need both facets to our personality.

One side is not better than the other. Both sides together make us whole persons.


The Balance

This idea of balance is a helpful way to understand Jesus’ interaction with Martha and Mary.

Jesus is not putting down Martha’s hard work and her desire to be hospitable. But he is questioning a life of constant activity that may neglect our fundamental relationship with God or even the very persons that we may be caring for with our work.

Jesus is calling us to balance our task-centeredness with person-centeredness. He is reminding us to make room for God and our relationship with God.

He is awaking us to a careful, healthy, and holy balance in our lives.