Cycle C - Year I:

21 July 2013 - 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical color: Green)

Luke 10:38-42

Seek God first of all!

How do you start your typical day? As you wake up, do you rush to get things done for the day? Or do you pause a moment to plan first, and organize your activities for the day? Do you begin your day in prayer to thank the Lord for the  gift of a new day?

We hear today an incident in our Lord's public life that provides valuable lessons on how we can witness and live our faith in our daily life.

Jesus is in Bethany visiting with his friends. The sisters Martha and Mary welcome him in their house. While Martha is bustling about the house and trying to provide hospitality to their guest, Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet listening to his teachings. So Martha complains, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?"

But our Lord said to Martha in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

We might easily identify with Martha with our very busy lives. There is just too much that needs to be done, in work and in our family with its many demands. And so it seems difficult to find time for good, solid meditative prayer.

And being busy with so many things can just as easily happen even in priestly ministry. It is easy for some priests to get caught up in doing things, like ministering to the many needs of others, performing administrative duties, teaching and preaching that they neglect personal prayers. And without a life of prayer, there is the temptation to lose their vocation and become just social workers.

While serving others is an important part of discipleship, Jesus teaches us to set our priorities right. The "better part" chosen by Mary in today's gospel from Luke is Jesus himself.

Thus, listening to the word of God is the most important thing in our lives. Because what the Lord wants of us, first of all, is to be close to him, put our trust in him amidst our daily concerns. Time spent in prayers is important. When it comes to our spiritual life, prayers and meditation are critical. We hold up to the Lord our daily activities and scrutinize them in the light of his teachings, in order for us to see what needs to be strengthened or discarded. In this way we are able to see what is leading us closer to Jesus, or taking us away from him.

Remember that Christ is always in our midst and wants to speak to our hearts. We can listen to him by meditating with faith on his word in the sacred Scripture, recollecting ourselves in private and communal prayers, pausing in silence before the tabernacle, from which God speaks to us of his love.

Especially on Sunday, we are called to encounter and listen to the Lord in the Eucharist at Holy Mass.

Even in practical life, when we seem overwhelmed by the many activities or work to be completed, it helps that we first plan and determine the best way to deal with them. With proper planning and right approach, it gets things done more effectively and perhaps even saves valuable time for ourselves and our family.

It is more true in our life of faith. In other words, prayers and active service are two complementary elements of our Christian discipleship. But Jesus teaches us to seek God first of all, and everything else will be given to us. 

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Deo Optimo Maximo!