Sunday 20 July 2025 gospel reading – A Transformative Reflection for Today’s Catholic Journey

When we encounter the gospel reading for Sunday, 20 July 2025, something profoundly human stirs within us. In Luke 10:38–42, we meet two sisters, Martha and Mary, whose simple domestic interaction with Jesus reveals deep spiritual insight that continues to speak across centuries and traditions.

As a Liberal Catholic community, not limited to the Roman tradition, but open to the fullness of faith and Spirit, we at TravelingLightMin.org find a home in this passage. It resonates with those of us longing to slow down, breathe deeply, and remember that our value isn’t found in performance or productivity, but in presence.

Jesus enters the home of Martha, who immediately sets herself to the tasks of hospitality. Her heart is generous, but her mind is burdened. Meanwhile, Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, listening intently. This posture wasn’t just passive, it was revolutionary. In an era where women were not permitted to sit as disciples, Mary does just that. She breaks social expectations to embrace spiritual ones.

Martha, understandably overwhelmed, appeals to Jesus: “Tell her to help me.” And then we hear the Lord’s compassionate, gentle correction: “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.”

What is that better part?

It’s stillness. Listening. Being with God rather than working for God without pause. It’s not a condemnation of Martha’s service, it’s a realignment. Her work is good, but it must be rooted in something deeper.

In our own lives, we often mirror Martha. We rush from task to task, checklists in hand, worrying whether we’ve done enough. But Christ calls us not to hustle harder, but to draw closer. He invites us to pause amid our striving and choose what Mary chose: connection over control, listening over labor, presence over pressure.

At TravelingLightMin.org, we often speak about traveling light not only in the physical sense, but spiritually, emotionally, and liturgically. To “travel light” is to let go of the burdens that keep us from intimacy with Christ. It’s to shed anxiety in favor of awareness, busyness in favor of being.

This gospel invites us to do just that. Whether you identify with Martha’s mission-minded spirit or Mary’s contemplative heart, or a mix of both. You’re not asked to become someone else. You’re simply invited to reorder your loves. To place communion with Christ above the clamor of daily demands.

And the beauty of Jesus’ words is this: the “better part” that Mary chose is not exclusive. It’s available to all of us, right now. Five quiet minutes in the morning. A deep breath before replying to that email. A whispered prayer while washing dishes. God is not asking us to abandon our responsibilities, but to transform them through presence.

So this Sunday, as you reflect on Luke 10:38–42, don’t just ask what you’re doing for God, ask how you’re being with God.

Let your faith walk be guided not only by sacred action, but by sacred rest. Let your hospitality flow from intimacy. Let your hands serve, but let your heart sit.

May you find time this week to pause at the feet of Christ, and may that sacred pause never be