GOSPEL: LK 10:38-42
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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.”
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Jesus shows how he values genuine friendship. As he ministers to a multitude of people, Jesus needs the company of friends who become like a family to him. The household of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha is one such example. In Bethany, Jesus experiences hearth and home.
On this particular visit, Martha is at her wits’ end as she tries to set an impressive table. She frets on her kitchen chores and whines that her sister Mary is unconcerned about the heavy work in the kitchen. In her disappointment, Martha even orders Jesus to ask Mary to help her.
Jesus points out that Martha is distracted and that her disappointment stems from her inability to focus on the only necessary thing. Jesus does not say that Martha should stop working in the kitchen. Jesus means that anything we do must be done with Jesus in our mind and heart – be it in the kitchen or in the living room. We can be praying inside a church, but if our mind wanders off, or our heart fantasizes over something, we lose the chance to encounter Jesus.
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SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2020,” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
