CHOOSING THE BETTER PART - STAYING CLOSE TO JESUS
Blessed Sunday to you. On this 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we find the Lord in the readings inviting us to draw near to him & dwell continually in his presence. Our response in the psalm, from Psalm 15:1, takes up this theme: “The just will live in the presence of the Lord.”
Our 1st reading tells us about the visit of the three men / angels (understood symbolically to be the Holy Trinity) to Abraham at the Oak of Mamre. What took place then was a wonderful display of hospitality by Abraham, who offered them a place to rest, & served them food & refreshment. He was also present & attentive to them & ‘remained standing near them under the tree’. His waiting on them & being close to them was rewarded with the wonderful news that his wife Sarah would bear him a son the next year. Abraham, a just man who had faith in God & believed in Him, had the answer to the deepest desire of his heart – he will have a son!
St Paul likewise in his letter to the Colossians Chapter 1:24-28, declared powerfully the mystery of the message of God for their (& our) lives: “Christ among you, your hope of glory” (cf Colossians 1:27). Indeed, the just who love God & seek Him will forever live in His presence, for the Lord Jesus is “Emmanuel, God with us” (cf Isaiah 7:14 & Matthew 1:23).
And in the beautiful Gospel reading today from Luke 10:38-42, we have Jesus visiting Martha & Mary. Notice here 2 contrasting dispositions – Martha who was so intent of serving Jesus with great hospitality that she was distracted & became visibly irritated; & her sister Mary who sat at the Lord’s feet, listened attentively to Him & was fully present to Him. Jesus lovingly pointed out to Martha that she was ‘missing the point’ by her focus of being hospitable & serving Him; & that Mary had chosen the better part – by just being close to Him.
But let’s not be too hasty to judge the Marthas in our Church who serve diligently in active ministry & only admire the Marys who can easily contemplate Christ in silence & bask with joy in his presence. Let’s instead take a nuanced & ordered approach. We all see & agree that ‘sitting at the Lord’s feet’, listening to Him & contemplating His Word is most important for the disciple. This is the BEING part of our spiritual life. But this is just one part. From this then springs our active ministry & service – the DOING part. And the outcome of this all is our HAVING – a great union with Jesus & living daily in His presence!
I’ve got to admit – following this guided “Be, Do, Have” track doesn’t always come easy. I’m tempted many times to cut short my personal communion time with the Lord & just work on the ministry of singing in choir, leading Praise & Worship & Adoration events in Church, writing the Blog etc. How many of you can relate to this? Don’t these demands & challenges of our ministry & our desire to do a good job & serve well cause us to “fuss & fret” like Martha that we forgo the most important part of staying close the Jesus? But thanks be to God, the Holy Spirit continues prompting & guiding me back on track. I pray that it’s the same for you too.
A great model for me to stay on purpose & on track is always Mother Mary. Just a few days earlier, I led a small choir to sing at the Carmelite Monastery at the celebration of the Carmelite Solemnity Our Lady of Mount Carmel. And in preparing for the celebration & contemplating our Blessed Mother, I found Our Lady teaching me to follow in her footsteps. Mary always treasured all the words she heard & events she experienced in her life, contemplated them deeply & pondered them in her heart (cf Luke 2:19 & Luke 2:51). Through this closeness to God, she could then always have the faith & trust to surrender & do His will (cf Luke 1:38) & continually praise God (cf Luke 1:46-47) in all circumstances. She could also stay strong in the face of extreme adversity & stand near the cross of Jesus as he was being crucified (cf John 19:25). But Mary didn’t just contemplate – she also actively ministered to her aged cousin Elizabeth who was expecting a child (see Luke 1:39-45); & she interceded to Jesus to work his first sign for the wedding couple who ran out of wine at the wedding feast at Cana (see John 2:1-11).
So, what lessons can we learn today & how can we move forward in our spiritual lives? Do you agree that it’s of vital importance to have a close & personal relationship with Jesus? That the BEING portion takes first place in our life? Do you also agree that we all constantly bombarded by many distractions in our lives like work, kids, family, social media, entertainment, church ministry etc that take us away from the ‘better part’?
I find that a disciplined approach of setting aside some precious time each day, despite our busy & distracted lives to stay close to the Lord is key. In this precious time, adore & thank the Lord; read the Bible; pray for yourself & others. If we must use our calendar & reminder features on our mobile phones to keep us on track, then let’s do it – whatever it takes! This cor ad cor loquitur (heart speaking to heart) time brings us close to the heart of Christ, to live in His presence, when we can adore & thank Jesus, & just keep still & silent (see Psalm 46:11 – “Be still and know that I am God”). Here, we will be filled with His peace, joy & love; we find renewed energy & hope; we get more clarity & direction in our decision-making.
If you can visit the Blessed Sacrament in Church or Adoration Room, that’d be great. If not, why not do an ‘Online Adoration” by clicking here?
Perpetual (24/7) Eucharistic Adoration Prayer Mission
I thank God for the gift of Online Adoration – that’s how I survived Covid Circuit Breaker & those challenging times – by spending time with Jesus & attending online masses, I found grace & strength!
And if you still can’t find the opportunity for the above, then take a few quiet seconds throughout the day to “check-in” with Jesus. Hit the ‘PAUSE’ button in whatever you’re busy with, take a deep breath, smile & in your heart, say: “I love you, Lord Jesus. Thank you for loving me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Amen.”
The above suggestions come from my life experiences – not that I have mastered them, because I haven’t. I still miss the mark many times. But the Lord always gently invites me to try (& try) again. And so, in humility & renewed trust in the goodness of the Lord, I persevere & march on. Why? Because I love Jesus & truly desire to be close to Him. I encourage you to do the same too. So, will you live in the presence of the Lord?
Jesus loves you! God bless you!
Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Team Lead