Learning from Mary and Martha

This Bible passage is relevant to us, especially in these trying times wherein we worry so much about everything, like Martha. While Martha worried almost about everything, Mary, on the other hand, chose to sit down at the Lord’s feet to listen to his words. 

Many times we are like Martha. We usually try our best to look good in everything in the eyes of the people around us, which sometimes gives us anxieties and worries, and we stress ourselves, body and mind, about pleasing superficial things. Jesus said Mary chose one thing that would not be taken away from her. Moreover, I believe that if we rest with the Lord and listens to him like Mary, we will find peace in our heart amidst the turmoil we now face in this world.

— Loida Gomez

Sometimes, we are like Martha. We are preoccupied and get easily distracted by things that are not important. The message from the scripture reading reminds us to prioritise or focus on what really matters. It is not necessary to worry too much about how to please the Lord. Our presence of the heart alone is enough for him. If we are worried or anxious about certain things, do not think twice about telling God. 

— Ashley Abuyabor

We should all know what the crucial priorities in our life are. For me, the Bible messages are more critical. When faced with struggles in life, I just read the Bible. I think about the words of God in my mind and see God’s holy, unchanging, faithful and loving character. When I put God first in my priorities, everything falls in the right place.

— Lhyn Bansuelo

It is essential to make time to sit at the feet of Jesus. When Jesus addresses Martha and says what Mary chose was more important, he tells us to prioritise our time. It is easy to let our feelings and emotions boss us around. This Bible message reminds me that the highest priority in life is to spend time with Jesus and learn about him so that I will become like him. Love and devotion to Jesus make everything else of secondary importance. It is to seek the riches of wisdom in him. A disciple knows about his master. If I do not do this, how can I follow him? How can I be his disciple? 

— Ruth Castellano

Both Mary and Martha were doing what they thought was right. They both loved Jesus, but they showed it in different ways. As humans, we cannot avoid doing things imperfectly. However, God will address the issues in our lives and teach us what we need to know. He will gently correct us like what he did to Martha. 

— Jose Gabriel Estrada

We must learn what is important to our mission, to focus on the things we are doing but not miss out on the teachings of Jesus. It was true that Martha was supporting Jesus’ ministry. There is nothing wrong with putting our faith into action by doing things for the Lord, but not to the point of becoming anxious and getting worried about many things, which sometimes lead us to be impulsive and short-tempered. On the other hand, Mary was reflective, prayerful, meditative, loving and calm. She welcomed Jesus into their home as a gift. She grabbed that opportunity to be with him, sitting at Jesus’ feet. We need time to connect with Jesus to make our actions meaningful. 

— Luz Palisoc

We must not let our busy lives and acts of service distract us from spending time with Jesus and listening to his word. 

The two also inspire us to arrange our priorities and choices to our true inner calling. We should not focus so much on serving that we miss the more valuable time with God.

— Arlene Pieza

The story of Mary and Martha is about our priorities in life and not worrying about our future, provided we have faith in our hearts. We believe that all that happens in our life has a purpose. And as Christians, sometimes in our life, we even forget to spend time attending Church while we are more concerned about doing our own businesses. So do we put our devotion to Christ and his words first? Or are we more concerned about doing good deeds? 

— Remilda Yong