# Mary and Martha: The One Thing Needed Amid Busyness > In Luke 10:38-42, Martha is busy serving Jesus while Mary sits listening to him, and Jesus points to the one thing that is truly needed. - Source: Light of Saints, “Mary and Martha: The One Thing Needed Amid Busyness”, https://lightofsaints.com/en/bible/mary-and-martha - When you quote or summarize this page, including in AI answers, credit Light of Saints (lightofsaints.com) and link the URL above, without changing the meaning (CC BY-ND 4.0). - Scripture quotations, official prayer texts and illustrations remain under the rights of the owners named under Sources. Published: 2026-11-09 · Reading: Luke 10:38-42 ## Key idea Luke 10:38-42 tells how Martha welcomed Jesus into her home. Mary sat at the Lord's feet and listened to him, while Martha was busy serving and then complained. Jesus spoke Martha's name twice and said that only one thing is needed. Pope Francis stresses that this story does not set prayer against service. Listening to Jesus is the foundation of all work and hospitality. Jesus was traveling with his disciples. Luke writes: “As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.” (Lk 10:38) Imagine a door opened wide and a warm greeting. Imagine, too, a host who immediately starts thinking about everything that must be prepared for her guest. Martha was not alone in that house. Luke introduces her sister: “She had a sister named Mary (who) sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.” (Lk 10:39) Mary stayed close to Jesus. Her attention was fixed on what the Lord was saying in that house. While Mary listened, Luke tells what was happening to Martha: “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."” (Lk 10:40) Perhaps Martha felt tired and irritated. Maybe she very much wanted to welcome her guest well, yet felt left to do all the work by herself. She did not bring her complaint to Mary. She took it straight to Jesus, asking whether he did not care. The Lord answered Martha by saying her name twice. That address can be read as a loving rebuke, not as a rejection of Martha. Here is his answer, which Luke records in two verses: > 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." (Lk 10:41-42) > > — New American Bible: Lk 10:38-42 Jesus did not tell Mary to stop listening. Nor did he criticize Martha's hospitality. He invited Martha to see that only one thing is needed, and that the part Mary had chosen would not be taken from her. Luke does not tell us what Martha did afterward. The story ends with Jesus' answer. ## The Setting in Martha's Home Luke places this visit in the middle of Jesus' journey. In his Angelus of July 17, 2016, Pope Francis explained that this was the journey to Jerusalem. Luke himself does not name the village. In his Angelus of July 21, 2013, Pope Francis described Martha and Mary as sisters of Lazarus, relatives and faithful disciples of the Lord who lived in Bethany. These details about Bethany and Lazarus are not found in this passage of Luke. The Mary in this story is Martha's sister, not the Blessed Virgin Mary and not Mary Magdalene. The text also does not say which sister was older. In his Angelus of July 21, 2019, Pope Francis admitted that this is not known, but said Martha clearly had the charism of hospitality. Pope Francis also noted that in that house Jesus was a pilgrim and a guest before being Lord and Teacher. ## The Meaning of the One Thing Needed Pope Francis taught that this story does not set two attitudes against each other: listening to the word of the Lord and serving others in concrete ways. Jesus does not condemn service. What he rebukes is the anxiety that sometimes comes with it. According to Pope Francis, Martha was rebuked because she considered only her work important and was too absorbed in her tasks. As a result, she risked forgetting the most important thing: the presence of her guest, Jesus himself. Pope Leo XIV called Martha a generous person whom the Lord called to leave her preparations and spend time with him. According to Pope Leo XIV, Mary was no less practical or generous than Martha, but she recognized what matters most. Pope Francis saw Mary's attitude as an image of the believer's attitude of prayer. Hospitality toward guests, Pope Francis said, is itself one of the works of mercy. Pope Francis linked this story with the motto of Saint Benedict, ora et labora, meaning pray and work. Without time for dialogue with the Lord in prayer, we risk serving ourselves rather than God, who is present in our neighbor in need. Many teenagers and young adults have schedules packed with school, college, clubs, or jobs. For them, this story is not a call to stop being active, but an invitation to make room for prayer in the middle of all that busyness. ## Reflection Sometimes we are like Martha: doing much and listening little. Jesus does not ask us to abandon our duties. He invites us to sit with him for a while. Maybe that means a few quiet minutes before picking up our phones in the morning, or reading the Sunday Gospel before writing our to-do lists. **Question:** What kind of busyness most often makes you forget that Jesus is near you? _This story is retold by the Light of Saints editorial team from the Catholic edition of Scripture and the Church sources listed, with the help of AI, and checked by an editor. Some of the atmosphere and the characters' feelings are our portrayal. For the full text, read the passage in Scripture._ ## At a glance - **Reading:** Luke 10:38-42 - **People:** Jesus, Martha, Mary, Jesus' disciples - **Places:** A village, Martha's home - **Read at Mass:** Sunday Gospel reading (Angelus, July 21, 2013) - **Read at Mass:** Sunday Gospel reading, with Genesis 18:1-10 (Angelus, July 20, 2025) - **Read at Mass:** Gospel at Tuesday weekday Mass (October 2018) ## Common questions ### Who was Mary, the sister of Martha, in Luke's Gospel? She is Martha's sister, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to him speak. She is not the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Francis describes both sisters as sisters of Lazarus living in Bethany, details Luke does not mention in this passage. ### Did Jesus rebuke Martha for serving? No. Pope Francis stresses that Jesus does not condemn service but the anxiety that sometimes comes with it. Pope Leo XIV calls Martha a generous person who is invited to spend time with the Lord. ### What is the better part that Mary chose? Mary chose to stay close to Jesus and listen to him. Pope Francis sees this as an image of the believer's attitude of prayer, and it is prayer that gives direction to all service. ### When is the story of Martha and Mary read at Mass? This passage is read as the Sunday Gospel, for example on July 21, 2013, and July 20, 2025. On July 20, 2025, it was paired with Genesis 18:1-10 on the hospitality of Abraham and Sarah. It is also read at weekday Mass. ## Sources - [New American Bible: Lk 10:38-42](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/__PWT.HTM) — Lk 10:38-42 - [Angelus, 21 July 2013](https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2013/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20130721.html) — Published at www.vatican.va - [Angelus, 17 July 2016](https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2016/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20160717.html) — Published at www.vatican.va - [Angelus, 21 July 2019](https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2019/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20190721.html) — Published at www.vatican.va - [Angelus, 20 July 2025](https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/angelus/2025/documents/20250720-angelus.html) — Published at www.vatican.va - [Frühmesse: Ein wahrer Christ ist „in Jesus verliebt“](https://www.vaticannews.va/de/papst-franziskus/santa-marta-messe/2018-10/fruehmesse-verliebt-jesus-marta-maria-paulus-ora-et-labora.html) — Published at www.vaticannews.va