Sunday Readings for July 19-20, Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Lyn Zahorik | For On Mission
Each time I hear the story of Jesus gently rebuffing Martha’s complaint about having to work so hard to prepare for Jesus as a guest in her house, I side with Martha. Sitting at the feet of Jesus is wonderful, but someone needs to clean and put the food on the table. So, this time, in reading the Gospel for this weekend, I decided to try and understand not only what Jesus said, but what he might also be trying to say.
Martha is described as “burdened with much serving (Lk 10:40).” She is likely feeling the weight of hospitality — preparing food, managing the home, and ensuring everything is perfect for Jesus. We have all been in Martha’s sandals as we recall times we hosted a party.
Perhaps what Jesus wants us to contemplate is our motive in doing all this arduous work. Are we doing it out of a need to impress or out of a spirit of hospitality? That’s a beautifully nuanced distinction. The motivations couldn’t be more different, even if the actions look the same on the surface.
If we stress and make ourselves weary over what others will think with more given to the presentation than the substance, our goal is admiration, praise or validation. On the other hand, if we come from a place of kindness and care for those we will be with, we are doing our work from a place of hospitality: warm, genuine, generous giving without expecting anything in return.
Jesus wants us to learn how to do just enough in our lives so a place of balance exists. Martha was seeking affirmation that her way of honoring him through service was just as valuable as Mary’s contemplative devotion. Jesus likely wasn’t expecting Martha to stop serving altogether, but he may have been gently nudging her toward a deeper awareness that being with him was more important than doing for him.
Perhaps Jesus wanted Martha to let go of the pressure and anxiety that weighed her down, not to abandon hospitality but to find peace within it. If Martha had approached her work from a place of calm generosity rather than pressure or perfectionism, she might have felt joy in hosting rather than resentment, trusting that Jesus came for connection, not a flawless dinner spread.
The Gospel ends abruptly. “Mary has chosen the better part…” Jesus seemed to offer to Martha a choice: “There is need of only one thing (Lk 10:42).” That one thing is relationship, attention, and presence.
Wouldn’t you like to know the rest of the story? How did Martha respond to Jesus? Did the words sting her ego or soften her heart? We will never know how the remainder of that evening progressed, but we can guide our inner Martha by striving to be a person who welcomes and nurtures, anchored in peace rather than pressure. By the way, I still have a long way to go to overcome the need to present the perfect house, so if you ring my doorbell unannounced, I will most likely hide behind a curtain and not answer.
Lyn Zahorik is the director for spiritual engagement at St. Mary Parish, Omro, and St. Mary Parish, Winneconne.
The readings for Sunday, July 20, can be found at Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time | USCCB.