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.”
Johannes Vermeer (1632 – 1675) Dutch, Christ in the House of Martha and Mary[1]
Active or Apostolic Life and Contemplative Life
As we all know, the Church Fathers have traditionally seen in Martha and Mary, Lazarus’ sisters, the images of the active or apostolic life and contemplative life, respectively. Saint Ambrose says that in Martha’s works we see active devotion, and in Mary’s example we find the religious attention of the soul to the Word of God.
Even though, in general, we say that contemplative life is more perfect than apostolic life, I would rather change the approach angle today. Let us see both aspects not in contraposition but in harmony. Let us look at works and contemplation within the same individual soul. The Bishop of Milan recalls that when Stephen was chosen to serve at the tables so that the Apostles could dedicate themselves to preaching, they nevertheless put both things together, they chose a man of wisdom to minister, that is an “active contemplative” if you wish.
Both Martha and Mary followed the Lord each in her own vocation. Saint Augustine says that they were blood sisters and sisters in religion as well, and they both served him. Martha fed the Lord and Mary was nourished by him. Mary anticipated the joys of eternal life through her listening to the Word while Martha was making her way to heaven through her works.
St. Thomas
In his Summa Theologiae Saint Thomas quotes the Bishop of Hippo: “The love of truth seeks a holy leisure, the demands of charity undertake an honest toil” … “If no one imposes this burden upon us we must devote ourselves to the research and contemplation of truth, but if it be imposed on us, we must bear it because charity demands it of us. Yet even then we must not altogether forsake the delights of truth, lest we deprive ourselves of its sweetness, and this burden overwhelm us.”[1] And here is the harmony or balance I mentioned earlier. Listening to the word of God (in prayer and contemplation) and serving others (active or apostolic life) can take place, and in fact should, in the individual’s soul.
Active Service and Listening to the Word
In 2001 Cardinal Caffarra said that in Martha and Mary we find the two fundamental attitudes of Christian life. This is in fact made of active service to Christ and listening to his word. From Martha we learn the untiring devotion of action. And, from Mary the pious application of the soul to the word of God. Both are necessary: without a profound union with Christ charity becomes mere philanthropy, and without the service to others our prayer and listening to the Word of God become vacuous spiritual selfishness.
May the Lord help us strike the right balance within these two essential aspects of our Christian life.
God bless you all,
Fr. Marcelo Javier Navarro Muñoz, IVE
Author: The Contribution of Cornelio Fabro to Fundamental Theology. Reason and Faith, Cambridge Scholars Publishing: htps://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-9315-2
Poesía Sacra, Quemar las Naves, and Desde Fossanova, IVE Press: htps://ivepress.org/
[1] https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/5539, accessed July 20, 2025.
[2] Cfr. De Civ. Dei xix, 19 in STh 2-2 182, 1 ad 3: https://www.newadvent.org/summa/3182.htm#article1, accessed July 20, 2025.
