I think it was Rick Warren who noted that we're not called "human doings" - we're human beings! Authentic spirituality is about being, not doing. There's nothing wrong with being a "Martha" and finding a calling in service. It's natural to want to see tangible "fruit," to feel that we are "productive" and that our efforts are "paying off." But the important thing is to keep our hearts and souls centered on God. This is why Jesus says we must be "born again" - we must become new beings, born of spirit, centered on Him, not ourselves.
(Recently I saw a car displaying several anti-Christian bumper stickers (very common in the part of urban Los Angeles I live in), one of which defiantly proclaimed: "Born OK the First Time!" Of all of the misguided atheism I've seen recently, that may be the best example of truly not getting it! Being "born again" is not a "do-over" because there was something wrong with our first one (LOL!); it's the spiritual process by which we receive God's Spirit and align with God's purpose for our souls.)
Mary of Bethany is the only person in the Gospels who really "gets it" prior to the Resurrection and Pentecost (am I wrong - can you think of anyone else? Let me know...). She is all about being, not doing. She doesn't "do" things, she just "is." This seems deeply mystical to me (remember that in Jewish tradition, Wisdom is often personified as a woman). Mary represents not subservience to men, as some feminist commentators have unfortunately alleged, but the embodiment of Wisdom - God-centered love.
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