You are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her

 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."  And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." 

- Luke 10:38-42

Yesterday we read that a certain lawyer stood up and tested Jesus, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"   And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."  But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion.  So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."  And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."   My study bible notes on this passage that Mary and Martha are sisters of Lazarus, the one whom Jesus raised from the dead (see John 11:1).  It says that Martha isn't rebuked for serving, bu rather for complaining and for being distracted, worried, and troubled.  It says, "In following Christ, we serve in order to facilitate the spread of the gospel (see Acts 6:1-4)."

It seems to me that this story in today's reading is a kind of "female" counterpart to Jesus' teachings on anxiety and unnecessary worry.  Perhaps we could say that, in fact, this reading is an "introduction" to such teachings, as His comments, "Consider the ravens . . . " come in the chapter after the next one.  We've already read that reading, however, as the lectionary schedule prepared us for Ascension day.  Here, Martha is in her role as the one in charge of hospitality, a character trait carried over into the stories that involve Martha elsewhere (specifically, the 11th chapter of John, in which Lazarus is raised from the dead).  But perhaps we can look at this reading as something "sandwiched" in between the appointing and sending out of the Seventy and the teachings on avoidance of unnecessary anxiety and worry.  Martha is playing her particular role in the grand scheme of things, the one who does the necessary job of providing hospitality.  Hospitality is a form of grace and mercy, of truly being a "neighbor."  Her sister, Mary, is the more "contemplative" one (if we may put it that way) and she sits at Jesus' feet.  She's playing her role as well.  In the story of Lazarus, it's Martha who comes out to meet Jesus as He approaches on the road, while Mary remains in the house sitting in the traditional position for mourning.  We assume that each of the Seventy sent out, as images of all those who will follow in serving to build the gospel message in the world, has a unique role to play, just as do Martha and Mary.  So the message here is about how to fulfill one's particular role, to use one's particular talents and skills.  Each one of us is unique in that sense, and so each one will bring a particular set of skills and talents into God's service.  The message here, as my study bible pointed out, is about the anxiety that goes with it.  We each have our own role to play, and as Jesus points out, Mary is playing hers, and she's chosen "that good part, which will not be taken away from her."   This is what is necessary for her.   Yesterday's reading was about being a neighbor to others, how we act that makes us neighbors, and we can also see some instruction in today's reading that is relevant to this consideration.  If each has a role to play, how do we keep from being distracted by wanting what someone else has, envying another "part" -- and acting in competition rather than, in a sense, complementarily?   That is, in a way that enhances one another's parts.  Again, one imagines that in the great scheme of things, each one has a role to play in the bringing of the Kingdom into the world, the gospel message.  Such is the illustration of the Seventy, and the stories we know about them from Church Tradition (see The kingdom of God has come near you).   So, Jesus' teaching against anxiety and complaints to Martha here is also a way of counseling that each has "that good part."  One size does not fit all.  It's a similar reminder to the one that comes at the end of John's Gospel, when, after being told to "Feed my lambs" and "Follow Me," Peter asks Jesus what John ("the disciple whom Jesus loved") must do.  Jesus answers him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."  Again, there is a cosmic sense in which we are to play our own role, rather than being so concerned with what others must be doing.  All of this comes under the category of worry and strife, anxiety that is unnecessary and distracting from our own purpose or passion.  This is a story -- in today's reading -- that I feel many women can still relate to.  Let us understand the essential nature of each of our roles.