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Oct.6, 2026
Gospel Reflection: Distraction vs. Contemplation
Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Readings for Today
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.” Luke 10:38–40
Why was Martha burdened with much serving? The Greek word translated as “burdened” literally suggests being dragged around or pulled in every direction. Though her actions were inspired by love, they were tainted by anxiety and comparison. Her frustrated complaint reveals a divided heart: “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?”
Martha’s work was essential. Her difficulty was not that her service was unimportant. She and her siblings, Mary and Lazarus, were close friends of Jesus, and He visited them frequently—most notably just prior to the first Holy Week.
Jesus’ gentle response shows His love and respect for Martha, but it also corrects her as a way of helping her with her anxiety: “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” (Luke 10:41–42).
What was that “better part?” Was it that Mary chose not to serve? Certainly not. After this somewhat embarrassing interaction, it’s possible that Mary did get up and assist with the serving. The “better part” of which Jesus speaks points more to the interior disposition than the outward activity.
Mary’s heart was not anxious, worried, or burdened. She was attentive and contemplative. Traditionally, Mary’s act of sitting at Jesus’ feet has been interpreted as a symbol of the contemplative life to which each of us is called.
Jesus’ gentleness invites Martha—and each of us—to identify that which burdens us most. For Martha, it was that she was more focused on comparing herself with her sister than on her loving service. Jesus was inviting Martha to embrace her act of service with a contemplative heart. She could have silently worked, prepared the meal, and interiorly rejoiced over Mary’s adoration of Jesus. She could have pondered the great privilege of having Jesus in her home and marveled at the opportunity to serve the Son of God a meal she prepared. Like Mary, the “better part” was within her grasp.
Martha was clearly a good woman. In John’s Gospel, when Lazarus died and Jesus arrived days later, it was Martha who ran out to meet Him and professed her faith in Him. Perhaps it was today’s gentle correction that helped her become more contemplative and prepared her to trust in Jesus when the time came for Lazarus to die.
Jesus’ words to Martha must echo within our own hearts. Do you daily choose the better part? Do you strive to remain contemplative, pondering God’s greatness throughout the day—both while you silently pray and while you work—retaining a recollected spirit? Or do you find yourself distracted by jealousy, envy, or other selfish thoughts?
Reflect today on the interior burdens that weigh you down and rob you of your peace. Ask yourself whether your heart is recollected and attentive to the Lord throughout your day, especially amid your duties and responsibilities. Strive to imitate Mary by sitting at the feet of Jesus in prayer, and imitate Martha by serving with love—but do both with a contemplative spirit. Choose the better part each day by letting your heart remain fixed on Christ, so that whether you pray or work, your soul rests in Him.
Lord Jesus, You desire my heart more than my labor. Help me to sit at Your feet each day with the attentive spirit of Mary. May I also serve You, like Martha, with love and dedication, but never at the expense of my peace or in comparison to others. Teach me to unite my work with prayer, my action with contemplation. Free me from distractions, anxieties, and judgments, and draw me into that interior stillness where I encounter Your voice. May I always choose the better part, and may it never be taken from me. Jesus, I trust in You.
Audio recording: https://youtu.be/rO_NS2fCaYk?si=abaU1ow4ed7Y6qAa
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Our Activities:
National Shrine of Saint Jude: Legion of Mary Praesidium
MARIA SPES SINENSIUM Members :
- President: Caroline Gozun
SCOPE OF WORK:
Home to home visitation; taking and updating of the parish census; recruitment and follow up of active and auxiliary members; follow up on marriage validation, baptismal, Holy Communion and confirmation cases; hospital visitation; block rosary; participation in various parish and curia activities.
ABOUT:
The Legion of Mary
The object of the Legion of Mary is the glory of God through the holiness of its members developed by prayer and active co-operation in Mary’s and the Church’s work. The unit of the Legion of Mary is called a praesidium, which holds a weekly meeting, where prayer is intermingled with reports and discussion. Persons who wish to join the Legion must apply for membership in a Praesidium. The Legion sees as its priority the spiritual and social welfare of each individual. The members participate in the life of the parish through visitation of families, the sick, both in their homes and in hospitals and through collaboration in every apostolic and missionary undertaking sponsored by the parish. Every legionary is required to carry out a weekly apostolic work in the spirit of faith and in union with Mary.
The Legion of Mary is a lay apostolic association of Catholics who, with the sanction of the Church and under the powerful leadership of Mary Immaculate, Mediatrix of All Graces, serve the Church and their neighbour on a voluntary basis in about 170 countries. The first meeting of the Legion of Mary took place in Myra House, Francis Street, Dublin, Ireland, on 7 September, 1921. This meeting was to have very beneficial consequences for the mission of the Catholic Church and, in a special way, for millions of members of Christ’s lay faithful who would serve in the Legion and for those who would be served by the legionary apostolate. Many persons outside the Catholic Church would also benefit from that apostolate. With the approval and support of the Popes and a great many Bishops, Priests and Religious, as well as the prayers and efforts of legionaries, the Legion, by the grace of God, has grown into a worldwide organisation with several million members.
Drawing its inspiration from the True Devotion to Mary, as taught by St. Louis Marie de Montfort, and which had a profound influence on the Founder of the Legion, the Servant of God, Frank Duff, the Legion is at the disposal of the Bishops and Priests for use in the mission of the Church. While essentially a lay association, legionaries look for spiritual and apostolic formation to priests and religious, who, as Legion Spiritual Directors, hold an honoured place in the Legion system. The Legion requires ecclesiastical approval to work in a diocese or parish. Loyalty to the Magisterium and to Ecclesiastical Authority is a basic legionary principle. The Legion aims to bring Mary to the world as the infallible means of winning the world to Jesus and legionary service is based on the doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ so that in their fellow members and in those they serve, legionaries seek to have the Person of our Lord once again seen and served by Mary, his Mother.
The general and essential means by which the Legion of Mary is to effect its object is personal service acting under the influence of the Holy Spirit, having Divine Grace as its moving principle and support, and the glory of God and the salvation of souls as its final end and purpose. Evangelisation, especially the seeking of conversions to the Church, should be a priority for the Legion. Through the visitation of homes and by other means, the Legion must, as a first principle, set out to establish a contact of some sort with every soul everywhere. Seeing and serving Christ in the sick and marginalised is another vital part of the legionary apostolate. While not engaging in the giving of material relief, legionaries will often find opportunities to do works of service for the needy.
The basic unit of the Legion is called a praesidium, which is normally based in a parish. A parish may have more than one praesidium. To be an active legionary it is necessary to apply for membership in a praesidium, which holds a weekly meeting and allocates a weekly apostolic task to the members, who generally work in pairs. After a successful period of probation, members are called to make the Legionary Promise (this is only applicable for members over 18 years) which is directed to the Holy Spirit. Realising the necessity for a strong support of prayer, the Legion has Auxiliary members, who associate themselves with the Legion by undertaking a service of prayer in its name. The administration of the Legion is carried out through its various councils at local, regional and national level. The central council, the Concilium Legionis Mariae, meets monthly in Dublin.
The Cause for Beatification has been introduced for three legionaries: The Servant of God, Frank Duff (1889-1980), Founder of the Legion, who attended the Second Vatican Council as a Lay Observer; Venerable Edel Quinn (1907-1944), Legion Envoy to East Africa; and the Servant of God, Alfie Lambe (1932-1959), Legion Envoy to South America.