Homily on Luke 10:38–42 : Distraction and the better Part (20-7-25)

Reflection  on Luke 10:38–42 :A Real-Life Story and the Spiritual Wound of Distraction (20-7-25)

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

A young woman once shared something painfully honest. She said, “I used to sit with my grandmother in the evenings. But after I got a smartphone, I would still sit near her, but my mind was somewhere else. One day, I looked up and saw her eyes quietly waiting for me to talk. I felt I was sitting there but not with her.”

This is the problem of distraction, being present, yet absent.

In today’s Gospel, Martha welcomes Jesus into her home, but her heart is not at rest. Luke writes, “Martha was distracted with much serving.” That word distracted, is not just about being busy. In the original Greek, it means “to be pulled away.” Pulled away from what? From Jesus who had come to be with her. Distraction is not just a practical problem, but it is a spiritual wound. It separates us from God and the people we love. It makes us restless, anxious, and even irritated. It is very evident in the saying of Martha, “Lord, don’t You care?”

In the Old Testament, when God appeared to Elijah, there was wind, fire, earthquake, but the Lord was not in them. He came in a gentle whisper. Distraction keeps us from hearing that whisper. It makes us miss the presence of God who comes quietly, lovingly, patiently, like Jesus came to Martha’s house.

Saint Teresa of Avila once said, “Much harm is done to the soul by distractions. We must not grow used to them.” She knew what it meant to battle distractions even in the convent. She would often say to her sisters, “When you speak to God, do not let your thoughts wander. He has come a long way to meet you.”

Jesus is not telling Martha that her work is useless. No, but He is pointing to her heart. He says, “You are anxious and troubled about many things,” you are distracted.  isn’t that what happens to me and you every day? We wake up with a plan to pray or reflect. But then the phone rings, someone calls, work piles up, and suddenly the whole day is gone and we are left tired  and empty.

In contrast, Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened. That posture tells us everything. Her closeness was not just physical. She was allowing His Word to shape her. That is discipleship and attention; sitting in stillness, listening deeply and Loving quietly.

There’s an old story from the Desert Fathers. A disciple once asked his master, “Why do I feel dry even though I fast and work hard?” The master replied, “Because you speak much to men, but little to God.”

In our homes today, there is much Martha, but very little Mary. We are all rushing, buying, doing, fixing, scrolling. But are we listening? Are we choosing the better part, or are we just reacting to everything that comes our way? Let’s be honest. Even in our religious practices, we sometimes carry more anxiety than devotion.

History tells us that Saint Benedict, who founded the Benedictine Order, had this rule, ora et labora, which means pray and work. But he made sure  that prayer  must come first and everything else  should follow that.

 however, we need to understand that, the better part is not about avoiding life’s responsibilities. It is about putting first things first. Mary reminds us that the soul needs food just like the body does. And that food is the time that we remain with the Lord. No one else can give that to us, so  we must choose it  just like Mary did.

So today, let us not ask, “Who was better, Martha or Mary?” Let us ask ourselves, What am I choosing? Is my life shaped by peace or by pressure? Do I live with a full calendar but an empty heart? In our homes, how many times are we present but distracted? We  may eat together, but each one is on a screen. We go to church, but our thoughts are still at work or on a message we saw. Even while praying, our lips move but the heart is far away.

Mary chose differently. She sat close and listened. Not because she had nothing else to do. But because she knew what mattered. She had learned the art of attention, the art of giving her full self to Jesus.

Distraction is not defeated by doing more, but it is healed by loving more.  It is to look into someone’s eyes and listen. It is to pray without rushing, to read the Bible not to finish it, but to let it read us. That is how we choose “the better part.”

Lord, help me to be attracted to You that I may not be distracted

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God Bless…