One Thing Necessary

Some years ago, I had the privilege of helping redesign the sanctuary of the Parish Church of Our Lady Immaculate, Tolworth.

Both the Altar and Ambo are carved from Mocha Stone by a young sculptor, Theodore Gillick. When planning the design for the Ambo (from where the Scripture readings are proclaimed and the homily is preached) I suggested that, instead of carving traditional images of the four evangelists, Theodore should create an image taken from this weekend’s Gospel: the story of Martha and Mary.

I loved what he created. Jesus sitting on the edge of a table and Mary sitting on a cushion, her head resting on her hand as she gazes up — listening to Jesus with rapt attention. Instinctively we can understand Martha’s frustration: She has left me to serve alone.

What do we make of Jesus’ response to Martha? Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her. Mary, we are told, was ‘listening to his teaching.’

Bishop Barron, in his reflection on this Gospel, says:

Mary has chosen, and I’ve always loved the Latin of this, the unum necessarium. That means the ‘one thing necessary’. What’s that? God and the love of God. When God comes into your life, God makes himself present. That’s what your whole life is about. Your whole attention should be focused on God. God, listen now, cannot become one of the many things that you’re worried about. See, that’s a metaphysical mistake.

Our life is full of worries and anxieties but we need to see them in the context of God and his love for us. Often, with all the many projects and things we need to do, it means that we are not listening, hearing or being with Jesus.

One of the theologians of the Middle Ages put the lesson of the Mary and Martha story this way: we must do the works of Martha, but in the spirit of Mary.