In his gospel, Luke frequently shows women in places of honor. In today’s gospel Mary is presented as sitting at Jesus’ feet to receive his teaching, the posture of a disciple, a man’s role in that time and place. Mary’s presumptuous posture and the attention she was receiving may have embarrassed or even aggravated Martha. Martha may have suspected, as many in our society seem to do, that Jesus loved her ‘spiritual’ sister more than herself, and Jesus had little regard for the mundane work she was doing in the kitchen.

It’s no wonder Martha was distracted! Her hands were busy but her resentment was busier. How are we to understand the complementary nature of Martha’s hospitality in meeting Jesus’ need for food and Mary’s longing for personal communion with him?

Our love must become incarnate in whatever we do to meet the needs of others. Thus, our good work, whether cooking a meal or voting for a bill in Congress, becomes a sacrament or an effective sign of our self-giving love.

Now let’s think about how much energy we put into the Lord’s work in an age when people are self-serving, self-centered, and self-indulgent rather than listening to the words of God and each other.

Why is our service for Christ, sometimes performed in a halfhearted manner? Why do some people who pursue earthly goals put us to shame with their diligence? The solution is found in the balance of our service to the Lord with both Martha’s diligence to service and Mary’s contemplation of his Word.