Gospel Reflection: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Gospel According to Luke 10:38-42

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."

In a fast-paced culture, I think it's easy to be a Martha. Even if our service is well-intentioned, it pales in comparison to sitting at the foot of Christ. I'll be the first to admit, I can be a Martha. I like setting goals and accomplishing them. It's play for me. I get to tap into creativity and attempt to reflect God's beauty to the world. All of this means nothing though, unless we learn to be content at the foot of Christ. To just be in His presence.

There will be our Martha (service) seasons and our Mary (rest) seasons in life, though when it comes to our mental health, it's important to see each season for what it is and have gratitude for it. Gratitude as an anchor and coping skill is vital to the Christian life. It allows us to acknowledge what is truly good in this world. Martha was unable to see the goodness in Mary sitting at the foot of Christ and required Jesus to point it out to her. Her mind was filled with anxiety, but there was Jesus reminding her to just be present with Him. To just be. Her service was not the most important thing at that moment; just being with Jesus was.

May we learn to recognize the different seasons in our lives and lead with gratitude. Whether we are resting or serving, goodness in found in just being with Jesus.

Side note: Speaking of different seasons, I know I had originally planned to do a series on the Gospel and mental health, though I'm feeling called to not commit to that at this time. I do think that reform is needed within the Catholic mental health sphere and I think that it will eventually come, though I think that will happen on God's time. There are some professional plans that have been placed on my heart though I'm not quite ready to share that. Everything will come together on God's time and through His grace. I don't exactly know how, and I don't need to know. I just need to keep following His voice.

Until next time...

Pax et bonum.