Martha and Mary

Today's Reflections

 

                               

 

     

Martha and Mary 

 

Lk 10:38-42

³⁸[Jesus] entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. ³⁹She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. ⁴⁰Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” ⁴¹The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. ⁴²There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Reflection:

Mary has chosen the better part. Is there anything more important than serving the Lord? Yes, there is. It is none other than the Lord himself. Mary in the Gospel chooses to be with Jesus rather than to busy herself preparing many things for him to eat. The Lord tells Martha that while it is good to prepare food for him, it is better to just be with him. It is, after all, their company that he seeks, not the food that Martha is preparing.

I experienced something similar when I went to Batyawan, Subic, Zambales. It was a distant part of St. James Parish. You can reach it only by passing through Dinalupihan, Bataan, and Floridablanca, Pampanga. I traveled long with my companions so we could celebrate Mass there. The wife of Kit, our host, was so concerned to prepare food for us that she did not even attend the Mass. I was very disappointed that she missed the Mass because of her anxiety to prepare a good breakfast for us.

Sometimes the worst competitor of our love for the Lord is our work for the Lord. Take time to just be with the Lord and listen to him. Talk to him before the Blessed Sacrament or listen quietly to his word as you read the Bible in the Spirit.

The Lord is more important

than our work for him.