Today is the feast of St. Martha. You know—the sister who was the busy-bee, cooking and cleaning for Jesus while her sister Mary sat at His feet and listened. When she asks the Lord to have Mary help her, He simply replies that Mary chose correctly. (Luke 10:38-42)
As the middle child of two brothers, I often feel for Martha. My family operates a farm and values hard work, so there were many times growing up when I would be assigned the same chores in the house. And many times I would whine or throw a fit because I was tired of doing them, and I wanted my brothers to be assigned the tasks.
Can anyone else relate?!
Busying ourselves is a trap in the physical realm and the spiritual realm. The busyness of today’s society has left us struggling to find the balance between doing like Martha and being like Mary. It’s good to do the things we are asked, but we also must remember to be—we are human beings not human doings, after all.
However, in celebrating the feast of St. Martha today, we are encouraged that if she can overcome her struggles and become a saint, so can we!
THE STRUGGLE WITH BEING A MARTHA
When I was a FOCUS missionary, I often struggled to balance the Martha and Mary mindsets. During this time, my team and I were like Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet by praying together for an hour each day, attending Mass together, and opening up Scripture together through Bible studies with students.
Yet, despite my Christ-centered job, I struggled daily with being busy-bee Martha.
I would busy myself with inherently good things, just as Martha did, but forget to invite Jesus into them and sit at His feet like Mary. I was trying too hard to accomplish mission on my own ways, in my own time—and it was exhausting. This unintentional mindset led to me finding my identity in doing missionary work more than my identity in being a daughter of God.
Now a year out from the busy lifestyle of a full-time missionary, I thought life would slow down. False. If anything, it seems everything has become busier as I balance married life with two jobs, small group, and different hobbies.
Over these past few years of growing closer to Christ, I have learned this: I cannot thrive while being Martha. I must take time to be Mary and sit in Jesus’ presence every single day.
MY ATTEMPT OF BEING LIKE MARY
I am not perfect at being like Mary. It doesn’t come naturally. I struggle constantly with inviting Jesus into the mess of my days. But I keep trying and His grace works wonders.
Typically, I attempt to pray while the child I babysit naps in the mornings. I also strive to go to daily Mass and regular Confession as frequently as I can.
But there are days when the baby doesn’t nap or I busy myself with other tasks and I forget to pray. In the midst of those times, I find myself connecting to the Lord while I’m doing dishes, changing a diaper, or cooking, etc. I just take a second to lift my heart to Jesus and say a quick prayer of gratitude for this moment of being with Him.
I’ve realized through this practice that although my job no longer allows me to pray for an hour or go to Mass every single day, I can still receive grace in doing the work the Lord is asking of me in my vocation by simply inviting Him into these moments. I think if Martha would have taken the time to pause and invite Jesus into her busyness, she would have been able to remain at peace in the midst of it.
LIVING THE BALANCED LIFE
If you also struggle with the Martha and Mary balance, that’s okay. We are never going to be perfect on this side of Heaven. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep trying! Here are a few tips:
- Attitude of Gratitude: We can live this balanced life by maintaining an attitude of gratitude in the big and small parts of our day. This is a great way to recognize the good the Lord is doing in every moment of our lives—transforming our hearts to see the good in the world rather than the negative. I really believe an attitude of gratitude on Martha’s end would have made this a completely different story.
- Silence: Another way to gain a balanced lifestyle is by becoming comfortable with silence each day. Saint Mother Teresa once said, “In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you. Then you will know that you are nothing. It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself. Souls of prayer are souls of great silence.” Woof. Take that to your silent time today.
- Pause & Pray: Lastly, I once heard it said that Mary assumed the position of a disciple at the foot of a Rabbi when she sat at our Lord’s feet. The best way for us to know Christ and follow Him as a disciple is to learn from Him by sitting at His feet. I don’t mean physically sitting at His feet—but taking time each day to stop in the midst of the busyness and converse with Jesus will help us become better disciples. Mary sat like a disciple at Jesus’ feet in the midst of the busyness of welcoming Him into her home—and we are called to do the same.
St. Martha, pray for us!
All my love,
