Our spiritual life can be seen through the lens of Mary and Martha in our Gospel today. Martha has come to be, as it were, the symbol of the active life, and Mary that of the contemplative life. Action and contemplation cannot be regarded as two opposite ways of practicing the Christian faith: an active life forgetful of union with God is useless and barren; but an apparent life of prayer which shows no concern for apostolate and the sanctification of ordinary things also fails to please God. The key lies in being able to combine these aspects of active and contemplative , without either harming the other. Close union between action and contemplation can be achieved in very different ways, depending on the specific vocation each person is given by God. Our contemplation must lead us to act as He wants us to, let us then beg the Lord to help us do His will.