Homily: July 20, 2025, Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary time.

 “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.” 

What is the only one thing needed?

In the first reading, God visited Abraham in the heat of the day. Abraham saw three men approaching his tent and sensed something special about them. In normal circumstances, Abraham simply could have acknowledged them and gone on with his work, but he did not. He dropped his work, ran to them, bowed before them, presented himself at their service, and got his household to prepare a good meal for them. He paid attention to their needs, and to what they had to tell him.

In the Gospel, Jesus visits His dear friends Martha and Mary. Martha busies herself to prepare food to serve her special guest. While Mary chooses to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to Him. Mary is paying full attention to Jesus and enjoying His presence, while Martha is overwhelmed with perfecting her tasks, and then complains, in an attempt for Jesus to deny attention to Mary.

So what is that “one thing” that truly matters?

Abraham got it, Mary has got it too. Martha did not. Do you get it? This is like a riddle.

Last week, I had the joy of spending a few days with my sister and her family in New Jersey. 

In the past, when I visited my siblings, I would still check my emails, read messages and continue in my work mode although physically I was away on vacation, only to regret later. This time, I made a firm decision, I would give my full attention to my 4-year-old nephew. I rationalized that work can wait, but making memories with my nephew can’t wait. He will grow up very fast.

So once I reached, almost every possible minute was spent with my nephew by my side. We talked, played, read, prayed, ate, he even wanted me to sleep with him in his room, shared with his parents! Every night after saying goodnight and leaving my room, within a few minutes, he would sneak back into my room to check on me, “Uncle, did you sleep yet?” Then he would tell me about something he remembered. He did that five to six times every night.

Yes, my sleep was disrupted, but I was delighted. I cherished every check-in he made. And strangely, those late-night interruptions actually worked well for me because he tired himself out, such that he would sleep in the next morning, and that gave me time to go for early Mass, get some work done before he woke up and got stuck to me throughout the day again.

I did very little work, but I was totally present to him. And he was totally present to me. It was precious and memorable.

So, Jesus is not rebuking Martha’s tasks, rather He is inviting her to something deeper: to be present to Him and to be attentive to Him while He is present to her. He wants to give her His heart, and wants her to give Him her heart, not her work.

At the end of our lives, we might not regret having served less than perfect meals, but we might regret not spending good joyful times with our loved ones.

And on a daily basis, we may not lose much time or energy when we spend it with the Lord. Every day He makes Himself present to us and waits for us to be present to Him. If we put aside some time to sit and listen to Him like Mary, we may hear Him telling us something important that could direct us in our day and help us through our tasks.

Work is important, we should fulfil our duties and responsibilities, but we also need to learn to pause and pray – not by reciting prayers or repeating petitions, but by sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to Him in silence. And everything else will fall into place.

Mother Teresa said, “If you are too busy to pray…you’re too busy.”

Jesus is always present to us.

Be present to Him.

That is the only one thing needed. Amen.