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.” (Luke 10:38-42)

In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus telling us that it is better to sit at his feet at listen than to be anxious and worry about earthly things. Martha is understandably concerned with her duty to guests, while Mary is only concerned with keeping her attention on the Lord. While it is good to serve those around you, Jesus tells us that the most important thing is to keep your attention on the Lord. The rest will take care of itself. Martha is anxious and not serving with love but is instead harboring negative feelings toward Mary. In our everyday lives, we can often become overwhelmed with our duties to those around us and forget that we are made for something greater. While it is good to serve those around us, if we become resentful of this duty, we must refocus and recenter our lives around the Lord. It is necessary that we take time to choose the ‘better part’ and sit at the feet of our Lord instead of becoming caught up in daily duties. If you are feeling overwhelmed, disconnect from your duties and sit at the feet of God in order that you may listen to Him speak.

Copyright 2022 Jessica Tucker