Today is July 20, the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We read at today’s Mass, “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” (Lk 10:41-42).
For many of us, these words feel challenging. Like Martha, we often carry concerns and responsibilities that weigh on our hearts. When Jesus speaks of Mary choosing the better part, it may sound as though he is dismissing Martha’s efforts. But that is not what is happening. Jesus is gently reminding us that only one thing matters in the end: the love we give and receive in him.
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati lived this balance between Martha and Mary. His life was a steady rhythm of prayer and action. He never neglected daily Mass or time spent with the Lord, yet he also threw himself into service. He called this his “Apostolate of Charity.”
‘Based on charity’
Pier Giorgio once wrote, “The Catholic religion is based on charity, which is nothing other than the most perfect love.” He cited St. Paul, saying that without this fire of charity burning in our hearts, we would not truly be Christians.
For Pier Giorgio, service wasn’t just about activity. It was about allowing Christ’s love to transform his heart, so that it beat with compassion for the sorrows of others.
Today, as we hear Jesus’ words to Martha, we can ask ourselves: Am I anxious about many things, or am I giving my heart fully to the one thing that matters — love of God and love of neighbor?
Let us pray,
Show favor, O Lord, to your servants and mercifully increase the gifts of your grace, that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity, they may be ever watchful in keeping your commands. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
