REFLECTION:
What is each of the people in the gospel story doing? Martha is serving: Mary is listening; Jesus is teaching. While Jesus says that Mary has the “better part,” this doesn’t necessarily mean that
listening to Jesus is either the only or the easier part. Listening to Jesus with a heart truly able to hear is difficult, indeed. Listening to Jesus is the “better part” only when it leads us to serve and teach as Jesus himself did.
- When entertaining guests I am more like Martha or Mary . . .. because . . .
- When attending to my relationship with God, I am more like Martha or Mary . . . because . . .
- I understand the “better part” chosen by Mary to mean . . .
For me to embrace this teaching of Jesus more deeply I need to . . .
Connecting the Gospel
to the first reading: The first reading cautions us not to conclude that Mary’s part, though called “better” by Jesus, is the only way to be attentive to God. Abraham greets the strangers and serves them, and for these hospitable actions he is promised a son.
to our experience: We tend to be “either-or” in our thinking. This is also how we tend to interpret this gospel. Jesus is not saying hospitality and serving are unimportant; he is inviting us to reflect on how and when we listen to him.
Reprinted with permission of Liturgical Press from: Living Liturgy