In today's gospel Jesus is in the home of his friends, Martha and Mary.  Though  sisters, the two have very different personalities.  Martha is a doer, busy with all the details of hospitality.  Thank God for the “Marthas” of this world.  They are the ones who do the organizing, the shopping, the cleaning, and so on.

            Then there is Mary.  Mary is not a doer, she is a lover.  While Martha takes care of business, Mary is content to sit at the Lord’s feet.  The “Marys” of this world are the poets, the artists, the mystics, etc.  Thank God for those “Marys” too.  They help us to appreciate what life is all about.

            Martha asks the Lord to tell Mary to help her with the work.  Jesus responds that Mary has chosen the better portion.  Jesus loved both Martha and Mary.  But in this story, their relationship with the Lord was defined by the personalities of the two sisters.  Martha showed her love for the Lord by doing for him.  Mary showed her love by being with him. 

            Sometimes we prefer to do rather than to be, because in the end we have something to show for our efforts.  In this way many of us get caught up in "busyness" of relationships and lose the "being there" for one another.  All of us have many things to do.  Today the Lord reminds us that only one thing is required- that in everything we do, we make time to be with him in prayer and in silence, and in a relationship that will last forever.