Usually there is some confusion when we meditate upon today's Gospel passage. On one side it happens that we oppose "good" Mary to "bad" Martha. On the other side we wonder why Jesus didn't show appreciation and compassion to hard-working Martha.

However it is true that Jesus gently admonished Martha for her unnecessary worries; nevertheless we can't say that He didn't appreciate her love and hospitality. Jesus rather showed to Martha the better way of honoring Him as her guest. This way was chosen by Mary.

We can say that Martha and Mary represent two different stages of spiritual life. The first one that has Martha as its role model wants to give to God as much as possible. It focuses on someone's gift to God. It is the way that expresses itself through the works of mercy and penance, through prayer and devotion, through the very active involvement in Church life.

The second stage of spiritual life is represented by Mary. We enter this stage when we realize that Jesus has much more to give to us than we may offer to Him. We follow the example of Mary when we deeply understand that Jesus desires our hearts more than our gifts. There is a great peace in our hearts when we are no more preoccupied with ourselves but we are totally open to God's word and His grace.