By Deacon Greg Lambert, Catholic Stand - Determining whether you are a “Martha” or a “Mary” has become an informal qualifying question in religious circles, particularly for those involved in ministry… Prayer and action should be complementary, and not mutually exclusive… In today’s world, there are plenty of things to be “anxious and worried” about. In the temporal realm, time taken to reflect and plan should precede any important action we undertake. Putting “first things first”, as Mary did, was commended by Jesus, and offered to Martha as a template for discipleship: prayer and counsel first, followed by acting on careful discernment.