There is Need of Only One Thing
Gospel Reflection for Tuesday, Oct. 7th, 2025 - Luke 10:38-42
I’ll admit, I’m a recovering Martha.
When I was younger, with little ones underfoot, I would go from task to seemingly endless task — each one urgent, each one important. My anxiety always humming beneath the surface and yet, no matter how much I did, it never felt like there was enough of me to go around. I was living my vocation and proud of it, taking care of my little family, my child with special needs, and our home. Yet, when it came to time with Jesus, it was often the last bits of myself I had to offer.
In today’s Gospel we meet a woman like that, her name is Martha, you’ve probably heard of her. She welcomes Jesus into her home, and is working hard to make sure He and His guest are comfortable, fed and taken care of. She is doing what she is supposed to be doing for her guests, and she looks over to see her sister Mary — sitting.
Indignant, Martha asks Jesus “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.”
Anyone with a Martha heart immediately understands her frustration. She is working so hard for the Lord. She is giving her all.
And yet, Jesus responds in a way that stops us in our tracks: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.”
There is need of only one thing.
How often do I forget to place Jesus first, before my day begins? Before the endless tasks of life swallow up my focus, and my energy? The laundry must be done, school work finished, meals made, appointments scheduled, articles written, relationships tended, bodies cared for. Life doesn’t slow down but the Gospel calls us to pause anyway.
Even for a moment we are invited to be Mary — to choose the better part.
We are called to sit at the foot of Jesus, as much as we are called to do, go, create and serve. When life is moving at a breakneck pace, when we are barely keeping our heads above water, when anxiety and worry are threatening our peace — there is need of only one thing.
To sit at the foot of Jesus, and focus on Him. He is our consolation and He will not take that from us.
3 Ways I Sit at the Foot of Jesus in a Busy Season:
Pray the Rosary - The rosary focuses on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. By meditating in pray on Jesus we can set our worries and anxieties aside, and rest in Him.
Adoration - A chance to truly rest at the foot of Jesus in His presence. Even if you only have 10 minutes, step into an adoration chapel and lay all your cares down. Focus on Him, invite Him into your busy life and ask Him to help you love Him more.
Morning Offering - Sometimes life truly is a blur, and one way I try to keep my days rightly ordered is to pray the Morning Offering. I know it’s quick, but it is powerful.
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.”
