Mary has chosen the better part, and You?

GN 18:1-10A

Psalm: PS 15:2-5

COL 1:24-28

LK 10: 38-42

When our lives get very busy, we often look for a sense of comfort to counteract all of our stress. As a seminarian, I often times will want to get all homework and studying done before doing other things, like spending time in prayer. If you are like me you might often try to convince yourself that the best way to “de-stress” is to simply get all your work done. However, we must be careful to not remove God, who is the source of all comfort, from the center of our lives.

A Christian is one who finds comfort in a friendship with Christ and takes time to nourish that relationship. We Christians realize that the only way to have true joy and peace is by placing Jesus at the center of their lives. We trust that faithful discipleship will ultimately bring us to eternal life. This is God’s promise. Because of all of this, we have many reasons why we should follow Christ and trust in his words, but this is difficult to put into practice. It is difficult to trust in God’s promise because it is counter-intuitive and counter-cultural. We may ask ourselves many questions. Why should I put God first when I have so many other things to worry about? Why should I put my faith life above all else when there are so many other things that are more attractive or more convenient? How can spending time with the Lord be more important than my studies, job, housework, or social life? It is easy to put many things in our life before God, and challenging to place our friendship with Christ at the center. Reflecting on this week’s Gospel can help to answer these questions and increase our trust in God’s promise.

In this story, Jesus is invited into the house of Martha and Mary, who respond in different ways to the presence of Christ among them. All Christians can identify with both Martha and Mary. We may be quick to compare ourselves to Martha, who was “worried about many things,” but we may also identify with Mary who chose to be with Jesus instead of helping her sister with the housework. While it is good to examine the times we, like Martha, have failed to put Christ first, we can take consolation in what Jesus says about Mary. He says: “Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken away from her.” Just as Christians are called to do today, Mary valued the comfort of spending time with Jesus more than the comfort of seeing her work finished. She realized that spending time with Jesus was just as necessary as the housework. She chose what is best, and Jesus promises that “it will not be taken away from her.”

Just as he promised Mary, Jesus promises us that the time we spend with him will be worthwhile. Many times it is easy for me to forget this because I so often want to replace prayer time with study time. Once, I reflected on the value of prayer and what it means to me. I noticed that it is amazing what God can do when I simply take the time to be with him in prayer. Perhaps, I will learn something new, be more aware of a certain aspect of my life, become more compassionate toward others, or feel a sense of peace just sitting in God’s presence. This inspired me to write a note to myself in my journal: “You will never regret spending more time in prayer.” I think that is what Jesus is trying to tell us when he commends Mary for choosing to be with him instead of being overly worried about the work her sister is doing. Jesus promises that we will never regret spending time with him. I try to remember that promise whenever I feel unmotivated to pray.

This promise is mentioned in other parts of Scripture as well. For example, in the letter of James we read: “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you” (Jas 4:8). Those who pray the liturgy of the hours are reminded of this promise when they repeat antiphons such as: “Surrender to God and he will do everything for you,” or “The Lord remains faithful to his promise forever.” Jesus Christ showed us that he wants to be in an intimate friendship with him. If we choose to spend time in Christ’s presence as Mary did, we can be sure that our close friendship with him will never be taken away from us.

When we feel unmotivated to spend time in prayer with the Lord, we should imagine Jesus personally making this promise to each one of us. He says: “Come be with me. Be like Mary and be comfortable in my presence. I want to be with you. I want to teach you new things and give you my peace. I promise that you will not regret spending more time with me. I promise that my friendship with you really is the better part. And I promise that this friendship, your salvation, will not be taken away from you.”

And may we respond: “Lord, you are truly the center of my life. All my trust is in your never failing promise.”