Reflection From

Fr. John

July 20, 2025

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.” (Luke 10:41-42) Jesus responds to Martha in this week's Gospel with some humor as she complained about her sister.

We find Jesus in this week's Gospel visiting the house of Martha and Mary, who along with their brother Lazarus, were close friends of Christ. Jesus visited their home in Bethany frequently, as reflected in the Gospels.

Following the Gospel for this week, we can imagine the dialogue between the two sisters. Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus while Martha is left to do the serving. Often, especially for those of us who are activists, this is perplexing and we can ask ourselves, “How could Jesus have let Mary sit at His feet while her sister did all the work?”

We can begin to address this question and other similar concerns if we dive a little deeper into the customs and norms of society during the time of Christ. Mary sitting at the feet of Christ would have been very unusual.

It was a drastic departure from the traditional social norms of the day. Typically, during the time of Christ, only men were allowed to sit at the feet of their teachers or rabbis. Mary sitting at the feet of Christ showed her desire to learn to follow Him, and it highlighted Jesus' acceptance of her as a disciple.

Martha complaining about her sister was understandable, given that Mary typically would have been helping her prepare the meal. Jesus, however, doesn't scold Mary, but rather praises her. He does this not to diminish the importance of Martha's service, but to emphasize and focus on that which is most important. Many of us ask ourselves, “What could be more important than doing work for Jesus?” Jesus shows us the answer through Mary. It is to be with Jesus himself. He is the means and the end, the way and the life.

As St. Luke mentions in the Acts of the Apostles, “For in him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) In today's world it is not easy to find time to set aside for quiet prayer or to simply be still. Today, as a result of our culture and placing a priority on work, we tend to be results driven. Like someone with an insatiable appetite, we desire constant entertainment and diversion.

Jesus this week is inviting us into deeper reflection. Instead of trying to do things for Him, we are called to be with Him and spend time in His presence. Whether it is 10 or 15 minutes a day or 5 minutes during our lunch break, whatever time we can prudently set aside will not be wasted. It will be time consecrated to Our Lord.

We often need to be reminded that work is not our God, but Jesus himself. If we take the time to be with Him and sit at His feet, we will find that He will provide for our needs and teach us how to be His disciples.

We will learn how to be a better father, mother, son, daughter or friend. We will also find that which we had been searching for all along, namely an increase in faith, hope, peace, joy and love. By learning to be more like Mary in this week's Gospel, we will stop working for Jesus and begin to work with Him.

Father John

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