Two women, two images of our life

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10:38-42.
As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary (who) sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply, "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."

Commentary of the day
Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Sermon 104 ; PL 38, 616

Two women, two images of our life

You already know, I believe, that these two women, both of whom were dear to our Lord, both worthy of his love, and both his disciples..., these two women, then, are an image of two forms of life: the life of this world and the life of the world to come; the life of work and the life of rest; the life of care and life in blessedness; life in time and life in eternity.

Two forms of life: let us reflect on them at greater length. Consider what this life here is composed of: I am not referring to a blameworthy life..., a life of debauchery and impiousness; no, what I'm talking about is a life of work, burdened by trials, troubles and temptations, of a life without blame, the life that was very much like that of Martha... Evil was wholly absent from this house, with Martha as with Mary - and if there had been any, our Lord's arrival would have dispersed it. And so, two women lived there, both of whom welcomed the Lord, two admirable, upright lives, one composed of work, the other of rest... One was a life of work but free from compromise, the hazard of a life devoted to action; the other was free from indolence, the hazard of a life of rest. There we have two lives and the very source of life...

Martha's life is our own world; Mary's life, the world we are waiting for. Let us live this one in uprightness so that we may gain the other in its fullness. What do we already possess of that life there?... At this moment, precisely, we are leading the life to come to a certain extent: you have gathered together, away from matters of business, apart from family cares, and are present there to listen. When you act like this, then you resemble Mary. And that's easier for you than for me who have to speak! What I'm saying, however, I'm drawing from Christ and this food is Christ's food. For he is the bread shared by all of us and, for this reason, I'm living in communion with you.