20261006 WORK OF GOD OR WORK FOR GOD
06 October 2026, Tuesday, 27th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Galatians 1:13-24 |
God called me through his grace and chose to reveal his Son in me
You must have heard of my career as a practising Jew, how merciless I was in persecuting the Church of God, how much damage I did to it, how I stood out among other Jews of my generation, and how enthusiastic I was for the traditions of my ancestors.
Then God, who had specially chosen me while I was still in my mother’s womb,called me through his grace and chose to reveal his Son in me, so that I might preach the Good News about him to the pagans. I did not stop to discuss this with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were already apostles before me, but I went off to Arabia at once and later went straight back from there to Damascus. Even when after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him for fifteen days, I did not see any of the other apostles; I only saw James, the brother of the Lord, and I swear before God that what I have just written is the literal truth. After that I went to Syria and Cilicia, and was still not known by sight to the churches of Christ in Judaea, who had heard nothing except that their one-time persecutor was now preaching the faith he had previously tried to destroy; and they gave glory to God for me.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 138(139):1-3,13-15 |
Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.
O Lord, you search me and you know me,
you know my resting and my rising,
you discern my purpose from afar.
You mark when I walk or lie down,
all my ways lie open to you.
Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.
For it was you who created my being,
knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I thank you for the wonder of my being,
for the wonders of all your creation.
Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.
Already you knew my soul,
my body held no secret from you
when I was being fashioned in secret
and moulded in the depths of the earth.
Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn15:15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 10:38-42 |
Martha works; Mary listens
Jesus came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha who was distracted with all the serving said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered: ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.’
WORK OF GOD OR WORK FOR GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Galatians 1:13-24; Ps 139:1-3,13-15; Luke 10:38-42]
It is in human nature to feel good when doing something great for the people we love. This is because giving allows us to feel useful and capable, bringing a sense of well-being and self-confidence. This explains why people–especially the elderly–desire the independence to do things themselves. To rely or depend on others can make them feel unable to care for themselves. It also explains why those of us who volunteer or are able to help others feel good about ourselves. This is a natural good, for God wants us to experience His love and mercy by encouraging us to extend them to others. The truth of life and love is that we only receive them when we give them away.
However, it is not merely a matter of doing good, serving, or helping others. While an action itself may be good, its true greatness depends on our motive. There is a real danger that, consciously or unconsciously, we might use others to satisfy our own ego. In other words, our true intention may not be to help or give, but to feel good about being intelligent, capable, generous, or self-sacrificing. Service can become a way to boost low self-esteem or satisfy a need to feel needed, leading us directly or indirectly into the sin of pride. When we believe we are the ones accomplishing these good works–whether for God, the Church, or our neighbour–we tend to take credit for ourselves rather than giving it to God.
This is the greatest pitfall of working for God and our fellow human beings. It was precisely the case with St. Paul before his conversion.He wrote: “You must have heard of my career as a practising Jew, how merciless I was in persecuting the Church of God, how much damage I did to it, how I stood out among other Jews of my generation, and how enthusiastic I was for the traditions of my ancestors.” In his letter to the Philippians, he added: “If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” (Phil 3:4-6). At that time, Paul was placing his confidence in the flesh–in himself. As a faithful Jew seeking to observe every tradition of his faith and the Law of Moses, Saul was more qualified than anyone else and could easily be considered the ideal Jew.
So too was Martha in today’s Gospel story, though her motive was more ambiguous. We can be certain that her love for the Lord was no less than Mary’s. Perhaps, however, she was more insecure. She felt that the way to gain the Lord’s attention was by doing things for Him, so she busied herself attending to His physical and material needs, wanting Him to feel comfortable, loved, and cared for. Yet, because she was also motivated by a lack of self-appreciation, she grew impatient seeing Mary simply sitting at the feet of our Lord and listening to Him. This led to a tinge of jealousy and irritation in her remark to Jesus: “Martha, who was distracted with all the serving, said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.'” Martha’s focus was not primarily on the Lord; it was on herself–her performance, her presence, and her efforts. This explains her discontent: she felt she was not receiving the attention she sought through her hard work and hospitality.
Our work for God changes when we allow God to work in us. When we let Him work within us, He becomes the One who inspires and motivates us to do good–not for our own self-worth, but purely for Him and for others. Allowing God to work in us means surrendering our minds, our hearts, our will, and the outcomes of our efforts into His hands. We begin to do everything for His greater glory and in accordance with His will, moving under obedience rather than self-direction.
This transformational surrender is seen most radically in the life of St. Paul. He wrote: “God, who had specially chosen me while I was still in my mother’s womb, called me through his grace and chose to reveal his Son in me, so that I might preach the Good News about him to the pagans.” St. Paul’s conversion story is narrated twice in the Acts of the Apostles. Throughout his ministry, he frequently contrasted his life before and after his conversion. Before encountering the Lord on the road to Damascus, he acted out of his own strength and convictions to fulfil the Law of Moses. His zealous defence of the Law led him to persecute Jews who had embraced Christianity, believing it was his duty to force them back to the faith or make an example of them for betraying the traditions of their forefathers.
However, upon encountering the Lord, his life took a radical turn. The emphasis shifted from what he had done for God to what God had done for him. As he wrote in his letter to Timothy: “I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the foremost. But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life.” (1 Tim 1:12-16).
Paul knew that his conversion was entirely due to the undeserved grace and mercy of God. Because of this divine work within him, he could later write to the Ephesians: “But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” (cf. Eph 2:4-10).
In the Gospel, Mary offers us a contrasting example. She exudes a confidence rooted in humility and a selfless love for Jesus, remaining attentive to Him as a person with emotional and spiritual needs, not just physical ones. “She sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking.” That was all she did. She sensed that what Jesus needed in that moment was a listening ear. Mary empathised with our Lord in His final days on earth, sensing that He was troubled. With the religious leaders seeking to kill Him after He raised Lazarus, He knew His earthly life was in danger. Mary was simply present for Him. She had no need to prove herself; she gave Him her attention, her love, and above all, her heart.
Hence, the Lord said: “Martha, Martha, you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.” This was the better part because intimacy and a personal relationship with the Lord are far more transformative than merely doing tasks for Him. When we know how deeply God loves us, we love others out of the abundance of the love we have received.
Indeed, as the Responsorial Psalm reminds us, God knows our hearts better than we know ourselves, and He reveals our true motives to us. The psalmist prays: “O Lord, you search me and you know me, you know my resting and my rising, you discern my purpose from afar. You mark when I walk or lie down, all my ways lie open to you. For it was you who created my being, knit me together in my mother’s womb. I thank you for the wonder of my being, for the wonders of all your creation. Already you knew my soul, my body held no secret from you when I was being fashioned in secret and moulded in the depths of the earth.”
We must conclude, however, by noting that we should not underestimate or discount the practical work Martha did for our Lord. Service is necessary; but if Martha’s service had been prompted primarily by Christ’s love and grace at work within her, she would not have felt agitated by Mary’s posture. Let us therefore choose the better part: allowing God to work in us first, so that we may truly work for Him.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
