Jon 3:1-10 Ps 130:1b-2, 3-4ab, 7-8 Lk 10:38-42

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer The Daily Reflections

In this Gospel passage we hear the story of Jesus' visit to Martha and Mary, when Martha is doing all the cooking and cleaning while Mary is sitting and listening to Jesus. Martha is upset that she is the only one working and asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her. Jesus simply replies, “ 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.”

I feel like this passage is hard to relate to sometimes because it sounds like Jesus is saying that we should stop everything we are doing and listen to him. While this is true, it is extreme and in today’s culture almost unrealistic. I think that what we can learn from this passage is that it is important to find a balance between Mary's and Martha’s lifestyle. We need to stay active and busy, like Martha, but we also need to take the time to be at peace and listen to what Jesus is saying, like Mary. It is impossible to not get caught up in all the different things life is asking of us, but it is possible to make sure that we listen to Jesus during our crazy schedules. Jesus asks us to spread his love and message to the world, and we can do that through our busy lives. We can do it by serving others, treating everyone we meet with respect and showing love and compassion to everyone, even through the small things. It is important that we live a balanced life by taking time to be in quiet in prayer, listening to Jesus, and still living a full and exciting life spreading the word of Jesus and loving and serving our neighbors. Just like everything in life, the key is balance, and we need to make sure that throughout our busy lives we do not get too busy that we neglect Jesus or live a life that is not pleasing to him. By living a busy and active life we are given the wonderful opportunity to meet people and spread the Word of God.