Martha was “anxious about many things” but she properly welcomed Jesus into her home. She brought Him food and drink. She probably had His feet washed as He entered, or did it herself– unlike a certain Pharisee who was once most inhospitable when Jesus had visited him (Luke 7:44-46).

After Jesus told Martha to relax and be with Him instead of running around worrying she probably did sit at His feet to listen along with Mary and Simon. She must have listened carefully because later on, when Jesus asks her if she believes He is “the resurrection and the life,” she says yes.

We who tend to be anxious can learn a lot from this. Even as we are running around being anxious we can welcome Jesus into our lives. We can do that by remembering that Jesus is in the work and in the people we serve. He said, when we do something for the least of His brothers and sisters we do it for Him (Matt 25:40). We can also stop a minute when we become aware that our anxiety is beginning to get the better of us and take that slow deep inhale imagining the love of Christ pouring inside us. Then we can exhale our worries to Him. We can say a short prayer thanking Him for being with and in us in the midst of our busy day and ask His blessings upon our work. All the Saints reminded us that these brief remembrances are vital to our spiritual life. They are also a vital way to lessen our anxiety.

St. Martha, pray for us.

Picture by Adolf Zimmermann (1799-1859), public domain.