Today is the feast of St. Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus. And, oh how I love Martha she is a living example of the stress that we all encounter. On Sunday, July 21, 2013, we heard this Gospel from St. Luke:
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.” ~Lk 10:38-42
Most of us can easily identify with poor Martha – she was running around with all the activities of being a good and loving hostess. Cooking, washing dishes, setting the table, giving directions to others, etc. She was probably hot and sweaty from all the running around and may have had time to even comb her hair and make herself presentable for her illustrious and beloved guest and friend, Jesus.
I guess we can say that Martha allowed herself to become distracted from her spiritual needs by other things. In Martha’s instance, these “other things” weren’t bad things. I guess even good things (jobs, family, friends, school, talents, etc.) can lead us to neglect our souls. We become so fixated on the doing of these things or for others that we leave our beloved Saviour, Jesus, by the wayside.
Next time I find myself running around and filled with anxiety, I hope I will remember the words of Jesus: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.” And that “one thing” is being present with Our Lord.
[quote][dropcap]S[/dropcap]aint Martha, pray for us that we might serve Jesus better. Help us to overcome our distractions and worries to listen to His words and be present to Him this day. Amen [/quote]