NOTES for Luk 10:38-42

Martha's irritation is understandable. It often happens that one person has to work long and hard while, in our view, someone else does nothing. Then we begin to grumble and even demand that the other person should do at least a little work too.

The Lord responds to this indignation with an unexpected sternness that seems to devalue our earthly concerns: ‘You are concerned about many things, but only one thing is needed.’ This sounds like a call to abandon everyday tasks, although another meaning can also be seen here. Might Jesus be reproaching Martha for beginning to interfere in the life of her sister, who has chosen a different calling, when Martha has her own path to follow and her own cross to bear?

As we reflect on this, it is worth recalling the words from the last chapter of John's Gospel, where Christ says to Peter, who is concerned about the question of the martyrdom of Jesus' beloved disciple: ‘What is that to you? You follow Me.’