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A Reading from the Gospel of St. Luke
Passage Luke 10:38-42:
Glory to you, oh Lord.
38 Now as they went on their way, he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at the Lord's feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving; and she came up to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister did leave me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 But the Lord answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things:
42 but one thing is needful: for Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
The Gospel of the Lord.
"Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things:
42 but one thing is needful: for Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
What were the things that made Martha anxious, and troubled Martha?
On the other hand, what good part has Mary chosen which the Lord said is the more important?
Another way to paraphrase this question: as far as the Lord is concerned, which kind of stuff is more important to the Lord, stuff that pertains to human respect, or stuff that pays greater respect to the Lord?
In a broader sense, and in the word of St. Peter, about which should we be more attentive to: the laws of man or the law of God? Or, in the vocabulary of St. Paul, didn’t he say we should look more after the things of heaven, than the things of this world?
Back home, in our country, in the Philippines you might have recalled some conversation that could relate to Martha’s misconceived prioritizing between which is more important about the serving of the Lord. Remember some dialogues reminiscent of the putting down by many supposed smart Alecks from back then of the equivalent Marys among our Church folks, specially our elderly women folks, who were always in the Church, or were spending hours in their knees praying to this saint or that saint. "O, ano napatango mo na ba yung kinakausap mong santo? (Have you gotten the saint to nod favorably upon your petition?)
And another relevant dialogue to our topic is the following: "Nag-madre siya? Ang ganda pa naman!" Or, "Nag-Pari siya, ang guapo pa naman!" The suggested thought being someone who was so gifted or talented properly belonged to the world, or was destined for success in the world. And individuals with such gifts or talents needed not languish with their gifts & talents in some secluded convent or in the lowly service of some poor village parish. Like it was an unfortunate waste of one’s gifts or talents that they consume their life for the poor, or in an obscure lifestyle inside a convent or a Rectory.
In other words, we could think of many scenarios reflecting Martha’s flawed perception about which presumably matters more, and which matters less with respect to our doing God’s work.
We know the Lord Jesus loved all of them, Lazarus, their brother, and both Mary and Martha, notwithstanding what part of service either one of them rendered to the Lord. Thus, we are not to discount the goodness and the good laboring of Martha, and likewise are we not to discount, therefore, the many other "Marthas" in our circle, and are not to disparage their many good deeds, good material and physical good deeds for others.
And yet
, the Lord’s message to us is that we pay attention to which is of the greater value to the Lord, and they are namely such, which are directly pertaining to the Lord, or the things immaterial and spiritual. In the business of our pushing for the practice of our faith, and our obedience to the Lord’s mandate to evangelize, like by way of our Block Rosary Devotion, and other parish religious activities, our mind-set is to be guided thus: think less of human respect, think more of the respect for what is directly of God.
Thus, women who have consecrated and dedicated their lives entirely to the service of the Lord do enjoy a special recognition from God. Likewise, for men-folks, who served God as his Priests & religious, God has a special reward in store for them. In similar vein, we may make the inference that individuals, who are engaged in the more spiritual or less tangible pursuits and activities like teachers, and artists are similarly and analogically to be rewarded a bit more by the Lord for their more elevated type of work and avocation. That they serve to pursue and propagate man’s higher values, even for the sake of the society’s stronger social foundations are commendable of them. For if rules, and laws are gone to the wayside, so is the society also gone astray. If God’s statutes and decrees are observed and followed, it pleases the Lord; but far be it, (in other words, let this not happen), that we displease the Lord when God’s people behave otherwise, or rebelliously – where his statutes and decrees have not been thought of, or heeded by, on account that we are neglectful in the Gospel teaching, or on account that we delimit God-ordained prophecizing activities in our midst.
When Christ’s sent forth his disciples to evangelize, passage Luke 10:1-12: Luke 10 1, he sent them with the following instructions: " Now after these things the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them by two’s before him to every town and place he intended to visit ...Remember I am sending you as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no wallet, no shoes; and salute no man on the way. 5 And into whatsoever house ye shall enter, first say, Peace be to this house..." To repeat, ‘as lambs’, not as it were like warriors set up armed & engaging physically, ‘carry no purse, no wallet, no shoes’, that is not having to mind having to have money or resources, ‘salute no man on the way’, that is not minding other transactions or business with people, and to ‘say..Peace be to this house’, that is minding only that one and only business: the business of the spirit, never-mind any political correctness talk or negotiating. All the above are descriptive of being oriented only for the Lord’s kind of stuff, and nothing about the world stuff.
In the words of John the Baptist as ".. we decrease" God "... increases.." in us. And nothing whatsoever in life could 'out-best' this manner of gain. This gain is the advantage the Lord was referring to that was being given to Mary in her letting the Lord occupy her heart &mind more than all sorts of household up-keeping, or political-correctness. Thus, on those, in whom God has increased so much, and who have been emptied of themselves, to them are or will be, shortly, the reward of the most genuine human fulfilment of blissful unity with God. The ones who have become much more prayerful and mindful of the Divine. For as Saint Augustine disclosed, our hearts have "remained restless.. until they rest in Thee (in God)!" This stage of practical living in grace is that high point of the fullness of grace. We could as far as claiming
that this is that level so beautifully summarized in the Lord's Beatitudes. This is that level when individuals have achieved the virtue of purity where as promised they get to see God in everything around them, not metaphorically but really and truly.
You can read through my further elaborating of the same thing below; as I am skipping through them. (And when even more disposed and thus endowed with God’s grace, we are promised all the more even the following God’s special privileges to them really dear to his love. Namely, at this elevating stage of purity and unity with the Divine even while yet on earth, it will happen that individuals who have really been through incessant tearful life misfortunes shall be overwhelmed by nothing else but overpowering spiritual consolations. Such that for them, (if we might relate alleged becoming "high" on drugs,) .. this is as it were their real "high" of experiencing God. This is that level when individuals who have perseveringly sought for knowledge, understanding, and wisdom shall experience mystic visions of God's justice and goodness. When those that have lived martyrdom of life's oppressions and persecutions shall forget all their life's tortures and torments as they assuredly contemplate how far more elevating and secure an equivalent "face-to-face" contemplation of God and God's Kingdom it will be even right here on earth. These are scenarios of pious individuals finally rewarded for their believing and following of God as pilgrims on earth. They are scenarios where they have been allowed by God heavenly privileges of great spiritual heights. The Church teaches of instances and occasions of inexplicable marvels gifted to many "Saints" of God. More specific examples of these are: "talking-in-tonques" (hearing them sound out foreign languages as they preach), "slaying-by-the-Spirit" (physical collapsing over a complete taking over by the Spirit, good Spirit, along with consequent disappearance of some ailments), "bi-location" (pious individuals being seen in two or more places at almost the same time), "locution" (speaking past or future events or informations related to the Saint), "apparitions" (like the countless appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary all over the world throughout these last centuries), and actual physical levitation in space while in deep prayer. (Father Pio was seen rising to elevation while in prayers a few times.) Saint Stephen actually saw ".... heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God" during his ecstatic dying and uniting with the Saints of Heaven. The Blessed Mother is assumed to the Heaven, body and soul. Jesus Himself demonstrated some terrestial but supernatural human feats like "walking in water", "penetrating through closed doors", "multiplying loaves of bread and fishes", and healing of many sick even dead people. He even promised the ability to move mountains if our faith bears such degree of approval by God, ie. (degree of holiness). After the apostles received the Holy Spirit, they all spoke-in-tonques, and henceforth while preaching were healing many sick individuals, and performing miracles. Like it has been given to the Saints such privilege of performing miracle once they have been really united with God. This is the ultimate criterion by which the the Church officially confers the title of a "Saint of God" upon a pious believer and follower of Christ: proof positive that the saint performed a miraculous healing of someone very ill.)And I am ending my talk, reminding you how it was promised ".. the truth shall make you free " Jn 8:32 Well the above is a way of explaining how the truth has made some souls truly free. Because these souls have chosen the better part. They have chosen to be much more God-oriented than world-oriented, and they have chosen to let God increase inside them as they let themselves to decrease inside them.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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