The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
It is hard not to feel insecure when reading this Gospel passage: Martha worries about Jesus. She wants our Lord comfortable in her home.
And what makes me worry? Often I'm troubled by worldly cares. I stress about plans, being on time, knocking out my to-do list. Here it’s painfully clear that Martha, whom our Lord invites to let go of her worries, puts my worries to shame.
Yet there’s consolation in Jesus’ loving response to Martha. Christ says, “there is need of only one thing.” We need Him.
Our hearts can only rest in the hands of our God, Who poured Himself out for us, and Who today pursues us tirelessly. Mary receives praise because she puts down her labors and joyfully accepts Jesus’ loving words. Jesus wants that joy for Martha. To love like Mary means trusting that our Lord’s mercy does more for us than any service we could do for Him.
When we sit at God’s feet and hear His voice, looking into His eyes like Mary did, the fruit is transformative. Jesus fills us up with His divine love. At His feet, we drink from the cup of charity, that sweet drink which makes us more like Him and more delightful in the Father’s sight. Receiving Christ’s love both satisfies our hearts and saves us.
In her friendly reception of Jesus’ words, Mary declares to the heavens, “Jesus is enough.” And He is enough. When we reach our home, when charity alone remains in our hearts, our only desire will be for what God gives. The cares that occupy so much space in our hearts will have no more room once charity fills us up entirely. Mary finds contentment in a taste of those heavenly goods, and they leave no space for anything else.
But we know that we are not yet in Heaven. For now, we work. We labor for our children, our spouses, our parents, our friends, and we toil in building God’s kingdom. But we can serve God like Martha with hearts like Mary. We can make space in our laborious lives for resting in His care for us. In Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, we sit, listen, and receive His great love. Like Mary, it is through adoration that we get a taste of how it will be in Heaven, and this is where our souls-- souls which mourn and weep in this valley of tears-- find strength for the remainder of our pilgrimage.
J.C. Mills attended the University of Texas at Austin, then worked for a year in New York City as a missionary with the Franciscans Friars of the Renewal. He loves spending time with his family and reading anything by J.R.R. Tolkien. J.C. will be entering the Dominican Province of St Joseph as a novice this August.