In today’s Gospel, we find Jesus welcomed into the home of two sisters, Martha and Mary in Bethany. It’s a short story, but it has a way of getting into our hearts. Many people would see this story as being very unfair to Martha, after all she was being very hospitable; but this story speaks volumes to us about the spiritual life. Martha is busy doing, what any good host would do. She’s preparing, serving, making sure everything is just right for Jesus. Meanwhile, Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening intently to His words. Martha becomes frustrated. She’s working hard and feels left alone, with all the responsibility. She asks Jesus to intervene. “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me.” It’s a very human moment. Haven’t we all been there? Feeling stretched, under pressure, even resentful, especially when we think others aren’t pulling their weight? But instead of telling Mary to help, Jesus gently says: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part.” Let’s be clear – Jesus is not saying that Martha’s service is unimportant, in fact, hospitality is deeply valued in the Gospel. But Jesus is pointing out something deeper: Martha is so busy doing for Jesus that she is missing the opportunity to be with Him. Mary, by sitting at the Lord’s feet, is choosing presence over performance, relationship over routine. Jesus isn’t criticizing her work; He’s pointing out her worry and the fact that she’s missing what’s most important: His presence.

This Gospel invites us to ask ourselves: Am I more like Martha or like Mary? Do I fill my days with doing and forget to stop and listen? Do I let worries crowd out God’s voice? Many of us live as Martha did, busy, stressed, trying to do it all. And yet Jesus invites us to sit, even for a few moments, at His feet; to be still; to listen. Mary reminds us: that prayer, silence, and time with the Lord are not luxuries. Many of us live in a world of Martha. We are constantly moving, appointments, responsibilities, noise, deadlines. Even when we come to mass, our minds can be full of worry: what we must do next, what we’ve left undone. Jesus is not asking us to stop working, to ignore our responsibilities, or to become passive. But He is reminding us of something we often forget that our work must flow from our relationship with Him – not the other way around. We are not meant to earn God’s love through constant doing; we are meant to receive it, to rest in it, and then let our actions be shaped by that love. This Gospel is not about choosing between being Martha or Mary. It’s about integrating both, being active like Martha, yes, but only after we have been still like Mary.

Make space for quiet. Even five minutes a day of prayer, without a screen, without an agenda, just listening.

Let Sunday be a true Sabbath, a family day, a day of rest, not just a day to get things done, but a day to sit at the feet of the Lord in worship, in rest, in gratitude. And when we serve others – in our families, in our community, in the parish, let it not come from anxiety, but from love.

This coming week, let us try to be both Martha and Mary – active like Martha, but contemplative like Mary. Let’s remember that in all our doing, the most important thing is to stay close to Jesus