Gospel:
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.”
Gospel Trivia:
The Gospel gives emphasis on the attitudes of the two characters by acknowledging their names: Martha and Mary. Martha was worried about many things but Mary did the “one thing needed.”
This passage is often interpreted as the tension between being a worker versus being a pray-er in Church building. But note what Jesus criticized in Martha. It is NOT her working too much; but it is her WORRYING and being ANXIOUS too much. Other versions of the bible also used the words “distracted” and “upset” to describe Martha. Jesus has many other teachings against worrying. “Fear not” and “be not afraid” are often repeated verses in the bible.
On the other hand, Mary showed the attitude of a true disciple by dropping everything she was doing in order to listen to Jesus’ word (the “one thing needed”). When we focus on Jesus, we need not worry. That applies to our career, our family, our problems, our relationships, and everything else in our life.
What are you worried about?
Other Trivia:
For some reason, we sometimes think of this passage as including a scene where Mary also anoints the feet of Jesus. This is not mentioned in the passage.
Reference:
Nil Guillemette, SJ. A Kingdom for All, pp. 353-354.
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