Today’s liturgy presents us with a beautiful passage where Jesus fully shows His humanity: taking a break along the way to visit some friends. Something so simple and so ordinary.
He is welcomed by Martha, who, with her active and service-oriented spirit, immediately sets out to prepare something to honor Him.
Her sister Mary is also there, more sensitive and attentive to the person of Jesus. She immediately places herself by His side to listen to His word, to welcome Him, to receive Him with a willing heart, regardless of time or what’s happening around her; an attitude that unsettles Martha and prompts her to complain.
The two sisters, with different attitudes, express their love for the Friend in different ways: listening and serving. However, Jesus intervenes—now revealing His divinity, because He is “the Lord”—and makes it clear that what is most important is first listening to His word, because that is “the better part.”
Bringing this message into our reality, we all carry something of Martha and something of Mary, something active and something contemplative. But the whirlwind in which we live often leads us into the trap of pure activity without reflection, even when we offer good service to our brothers and sisters in the name of Jesus.
Neglecting time for “listening to the Lord” through prayer, silence, and a personal encounter with the Master is to neglect the meaning of our mission in the world.
“Being” and “Doing” complement each other. Contemplating and sharing what we have contemplated is a wonderful synthesis of our Christian life. But it is important not to reverse the order, because action becomes empty without the source that nourishes it.
Might Jesus be inviting us today, through this Gospel, to rethink how we are living these dimensions? Let us allow ourselves to be challenged by Him.
Sr. Susana Ruani
Province of Saint Rose of Lima
