Today is the Feast of St Francis - “The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today”

“Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that has been received--only what you have given.” - St Francis of Assisi

Gospel text (Lk 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."

Martha or Mary? But..., why opposing those who loved each other so much and loved God too? Jesus loved Martha and Mary, and their brother Lazarus, and He loves each one of us, too.

On the path of sainthood not any two souls are exactly alike. We all try to love God, but within our own style and personality, without imitating anyone. Our models are Christ and the Mother of God. Do you resent how others treat God?

«Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the serving? Ask her therefore to help me» (Lk 10:40). To serve others, for the love of God, is an honor, not a burden. Do we serve with joy, as the Mother of God did with her cousin Elisabeth or at Cana's wedding, or as Jesus did when washing the Apostle's feet at the Last Supper?

I think that what we can learn from this passage is that it is important to find a balance between Mary's and Martha’s lifestyle. We need to stay active and busy, like Martha, but we also need to take the time to be at peace and listen to what Jesus is saying, like Mary. It is impossible to not get caught up in all the different things life is asking of us, but it is possible to make sure that we listen to Jesus during our crazy schedules. Jesus asks us to spread his love and message to the world, and we can do that through our busy lives. We can do it by serving others, treating everyone we meet with respect and showing love and compassion to everyone, even through the small things. It is important that we live a balanced life by taking time to be in quiet in prayer, listening to Jesus, and still living a full and exciting life spreading the word of Jesus and loving and serving our neighbors. Just like everything in life, the key is balance, and we need to make sure that throughout our busy lives we do not get too busy that we neglect Jesus or live a life that is not pleasing to him. By living a busy and active life we are given the wonderful opportunity to meet people and spread the Word of God.