The better part

There’s always a message to live today in the Gospel. This Sunday’s passage from Luke is usually read simply as a lesson on spiritual priorities. But like most things in scripture, simple does not mean shallow. And in today’s world of endless political noise, environmental degradation, societal issues and frenetic modern life, the message rings louder than ever: we are all becoming Marthas in a world that urgently needs more Marys.

Look around. At an environmental level, global temperatures are rising, ice caps are melting, species are disappearing. Yet instead of slowing down to face the truth, much of society keeps moving faster—distracted by consumerism, short-term political gain, and keeping up appearances.

Our leaders talk about growth and GDP, while ignoring or downplaying the extremely hard conversations about sustainability. Many people get caught up in partisan point-scoring—the bobol and bacchanal—rather than asking: What kind of world are we leaving behind?

That’s the Martha mentality: constantly busy, but for what purpose?

The Mary mindset—sitting, listening, reflecting—feels countercultural today. We are told to hustle, stay productive, and that myth of multitasking. The world doesn’t just need more activity. It needs thoughtful action rooted in reflection, empathy, and wisdom.

Priorities matter

We can fall into Martha’s trap. We click through outrage after outrage online. We sign petitions, repost memes, argue in comment sections. But how much of that activity brings real change? How much of it is just a way to feel busy, rather than being still and asking hard, uncomfortable questions?

None of this is to say that Martha was wrong to work. Her service was important. But as Jesus points out, priorities matter. There’s a time for doing, but there’s also a time for sitting, for listening, for choosing “the better part”.

If society applied that lesson, perhaps we’d see politics slow down—not in the sense of becoming lazy, but in becoming deliberate. Imagine climate summits where leaders weren’t just racing to protect their own countries’ interests but sat together long enough to hear each other, to truly grapple with the science and the stakes.

Imagine communities where decisions weren’t made in boardrooms cut off from the people, but in spaces where listening came first.

Even on a personal level, the story speaks. It asks: Are we moving through our days as Marthas—rushing from task to task, problem to problem—or do we ever sit down like Mary and ask: what really matters here?

None of this is abstract theology. It’s an invitation to examine the kind of world we’re building and the pace at which we’re building it.

This Sunday’s Gospel, Luke 10:38–42 isn’t about choosing between work and idleness. Martha’s house wasn’t just filled with work. It was filled with distraction. Mary chose focus, depth, presence.

Today, modern life is loud, fast, and anxious. Politics mirrors that same energy: reactive, shallow, driven by sound bites and polls rather than principle. If we can find the courage to slow down, to listen, maybe there’s still time to choose “the better part.”