Martha's action

Most often while interpreting the episode of Jesus supporting the role of Mary during his visit to his friends' house in Bethany, over and above that of Martha, we try to see and show how both action and contemplation are needed.  From a practical point of view too both are essential.  

Imagine a house where there was only Mary.  Jesus certainly did not go alone to their house.  It was mostly along with his apostles, I guess. What if there was no Martha at home?  Only Mary who preferred to sit by Jesus' side and listen to him.  The apostles and even Jesus would long for someone to offer them some water to drink and a bit to taste!  The word of God satisfies the soul, but it does not satiate actual hunger or thirst.  

The difficulty comes when one has to judge or grade one over the other: action or contemplation?  Martha does that.  She strongly feels that her action is better than that of Mary's contemplation.  She seeks Jesus' opinion to endorse her view - and gets shot down!  The key is to relish what one does best, rather than compare and contrast it with someone else's choice.