Serving and Relationship

Today's Gospel tells the story of Mary and Martha, two sisters who welcomed Jesus into their home. While Martha was busy with all the stuff related to hospitality, Mary sat at the Lord's feet, listening to His teaching.

When I was younger, I used to see this story as a kind of black-and-white contrast: Martha was "bad" for being too busy, and Mary was "good" for choosing to sit and listen. But as I grew older and began to understand what it means to serve God, I realized how mistaken that view was.

Action isn't bad. Serving isn't wrong. But there's a greater treasure that we can lose sight of as we serve and labour. We were created for a relationship with Him.

You and I.

All of us.

A personal relationship. And in this moment, Jesus gently reminds us that this connection with Him is "the good portion"—the one thing that matters most—and it will not be taken away.

I'll have to admit, I'm often guilty of not spending enough time simply being with Him—conversing, listening, and deepening that relationship. I want to be more like Mary, eager to hear what God wants to say.

I do Lectio Divina (almost) every day, but I realize I often lean too much on my intellect and prior knowledge of Scripture. I feel called to spend more time in prayerful listening, to let God speak, rather than trying to figure everything out on my own.

However, it's important to notice that in this passage, Jesus didn't rebuke Martha for "doing things." He recognized that what she was doing was good, and her intentions were in the right place. After all, if I were in her shoes, I'd probably do the same.

If a dear friend came over to my house, of course I'd want everything to be spotless. I'd want them to feel welcome and cared for. Hospitality comes from love—and that's exactly where Martha's actions were rooted. She wasn't wrong to serve; in fact, her desire to care for Jesus came from a heart of love. After all, it is by our love that our faith is made visible, and it's through that love we are known as His disciples (John 13:34–35).

Through Martha, I feel called more to serve. Whether it's helping out at church, giving a friend a ride, or simply doing small, unseen acts of love, there's something deeply meaningful about being intentionally generous with my time and energy. Serving can be a beautiful expression of love—just like Martha's.

But even in the midst of all the doing, I'm learning from Jesus that the heart behind the action matters just as much as the action itself. It's easy to get caught up in the work and forget who we're doing it for. That's the gentle tension Jesus was pointing out to Martha—not that her service was wrong, but that it had started to leave her anxious and distracted, pulling her away from the very person she was trying to honour.

So now, when I feel called to serve, I have to try to approach it from a place of being rooted in Him—not just doing things for God, but doing them with Him. It helps to keep that relationship at the centre.

I want to serve Christ, and I will do my best to deepen my relationship with Him also, for without it my faith is just a dead ritual.

Throughout the week, I know I'll need to sit with these questions—and I invite you to reflect on them too:

• Who am I really serving, and why do I serve?

• Have I taken time to pray before stepping into God’s work or just my vocation in general today?

• Are there moments this week where I'm being called to serve more? Or maybe, is this a season to simply rest and enjoy His presence?