Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’
How jealously does our Lord defend those who long to adore and listen to him. Mary adored Jesus by sitting at his feet, she longed to learn about God by listening to him. In this - loving adoration and rapt thirst for knowledge - Mary is imitating the Seraphim and Cherubim. Or shall we say rather that she is completely obeying those choirs in her soul: "of you my heart as spoken 'seek his face.' (Psalm 26.8-9). Mary has strove after and received the greater gifts (1 Corinthians12.31). They are greater because they attend fully to God himself and represent and anticipate that which we are all destined to do for eternity. Jesus does not lovingly correct Martha until she complains about Mary. We see this repeated after the resurrection when, after Jesus commissions Peter to tend his sheep, Peter asks "but what about John?" Jesus replies "what is that to you? You are to follow me!" (John 21.20-22) We see this tension down through the centuries to our current day. Those who are called into more active service of God's people may be tempted to look upon those who attend to God directly as being of less use or even lazy. But for those who hear the call which cannot be refused - 'seek his face' - and sit with undivided attention before God, the burning devouring, flame of the Seraphim has been and kindled in their heart and the devouring thirst for the knowledge of God has been granted to their mind.
Jesus does not correct Martha's actions, simply the manner by which she is engaging in them, telling her that she is "wearied and distracted." Even in this he does so with the most tender love, saying her name twice: "Martha, Martha." Thus we are not foolish enough to take away the vocation of the Paul -- to go forth and spread the church to all lands, or the Peter -- to shepherd and guide the church. Simply to defend the John -- to witness to Jesus Christ.
We see the true harmony of the two very different vocations of Peter and John in four special occurrences in the Gospel of John - in John 13.24 Peter asks John to ask Jesus who the betrayer is, since John was reclining next to Jesus. In John 19.26 it is John who remains at the foot of the cross and is given to, and receives, Mary most holy while Peter, though he denied Christ, will later be the one together them together. In John 20.4 John reaches the tomb first but waits for Peter before going in, out of deference for his authority. But after entering John believes, without having seen. Finally, in John 21.7 it is John who recognizes the Lord first and tells Peter, enabling him to go to him. In all these events we see the wonderful and necessary dynamic between the active and contemplative.
We see also behind some of the most fruitful active lives the deepest contemplatives, such as Mother Teresa. This is rare, however, as "all do not possess all gifts," (1 Corinthians 12.29). We find two unfortunate things: that those who have received a call to active ministry feel the need to also be seen as deep contemplatives, and those who feel the irresistible call of the contemplative life feel guilt that they are not as outwardly productive as their active brothers and sisters. Since both types, if they are serious Christians, have ample support from the Word for the vocation, they have only themselves to look to for the cause of their tension.
Oh Lord, liberate us from our own egos and worries to pursue our given task with all our strength.
Finally there is the example of the apostles themselves. When they were being pressed to wait on tables they gathered the whole community together and said "it is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. Therefore select seven men whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the Word." (6 .1-4)