In today’s Gospel, Jesus enters the home of two sisters: Martha and Mary. It is a small, quiet moment in the Gospel of Luke, but one filled with deep meaning for our lives. This house in Bethany becomes a sacred space—a place where God himself comes not to rule, but to be welcomed, to be received with love.
We often imagine God as distant, as majestic and untouchable. But Jesus, God-with-us, knocks at the door of ordinary lives and longs to be received—not with pomp, but with love. As the Book of Revelation says: “I stand at the door and knock”(Rev 3:20). Our God is humble. He wants to enter our hearts, to be with us, to speak with us. He comes to be our friend.
Martha welcomes Jesus with generosity. She works hard, serves, prepares—she does everything out of love. But she is distracted. She becomes anxious, frustrated, even resentful. “Lord, do you not care?” she says. And in those words, we hear ourselves. So often, in our busy service, even in our work for the Church, we forget the One for whom we are working.
“Martha, Martha.” Why is the name repeated? It is a common biblical way to highlight a person’s vocation: ‘Samuel, Samuel,’ ‘Moses, Moses,’ ‘Saul, Saul.’ Martha is called to become a disciple. She is a good person; she gives herself, but she is not yet a disciple. To become a disciple, she must understand that she needs to prioritise her work by listening to the Word of the Master, which should guide all her activities. The consequence of neglecting this: “Martha, you are anxious and worried.”
Mary, meanwhile, sits at the feet of Jesus and listens. She chooses “the better part.” Not because serving is bad—no! But because listening must come first. Before action, before words, there must be silence. There must be space to hear the voice of the Lord.
Today, Jesus invites us to slow down. He invites us to sit with him, to listen. Not with our ears only, but with our hearts. The world moves fast. We are tempted to do more, to fill our days with tasks, even good tasks. But without listening to the Word, we risk becoming like Martha — anxious, restless, scattered.
Let us not forget: the Gospel is not only to be preached; it must be heard. It must be received in the silence of our hearts. Let us choose the better part. Let us be disciples who first sit at the Master’s feet. May our homes, our parishes, our lives be places where Jesus is not only served but loved, heard, and welcomed. And may his Word be the light that guides all we do.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, who pondered all things in her heart, teach us the beauty of listening in silence. And may the Lord give us peace—the peace that flows from time spent in his presence.
Father Josekutty Mathew CMF
