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Today’s Gospel reading is a familiar one. Mary and Martha, the sisters of Bethany, have received Jesus into their home. While Mary places herself at His feet, Martha busily tends to the serving of the guests. However, her tasks soon consume her. Overwhelmed and harried, Martha sets her eyes indignantly toward Mary and then questions Jesus, demanding in fact that He intervene in her favor. His response has become the classic phrase that so many of us need to hear: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.” (emphasis added)

What is that one thing? Jesus Himself, of course. He is only and always the “better part”.

We also read today from Paul’s letter to the Galatians. In it, he admits to having been “a zealot” for his traditions. Clinging tightly to his ancestral beliefs, Paul’s sight had been set on the mission of defending these beliefs at any cost. With full transparency, Paul acknowledges that his “former way of life” was a life centered around persecuting the Church of God and even trying “to destroy it”. That is until a certain day on the road to Damascus when he had an encounter which changed everything. When he heard the voice of Jesus say, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4)

Can you hear the echo of Jesus calling out Saul’s name just like He did Martha’s?

The Lord understood from afar each of their thoughts. Having probed them, He knew intimately both their good and their bad, and desired that each choose “the better part”. For Paul, this meant assenting to the reality of the New Covenant and accepting his unique call to spread the Good News to the Gentiles. For Martha, it meant not letting her to-do list supersede the time spent listening to God so that the grace of her gifts, these charisms of hospitality and service, might be freely offered. The question you and I are invited to reflect on today is what does choosing the better part look like in our own lives?

When paired together, the zealousness of both Paul and Martha teach us to be aware of how our self-righteousness can blind us to what the Lord is trying to do. Or that in our busyness we may have ceased to listen, becoming deaf to what the Lord is trying to say. Be ready in these moments for the Lord to intervene. Listen for the echo of your own name as He calls out with gentle and tender correction.

Like Paul and Martha, we are invited by Jesus to choose the better part. But first we must hear His voice. Today may we be reminded of this call to listen and the need to say aloud, “Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.” May we pray in earnest, “Not my will be done, but Thy will be done.”

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La lectura del Evangelio de hoy nos resulta familiar. María y Marta, las hermanas de Betania, han acogido a Jesús en su hogar. Mientras María se sitúa a sus pies, Marta se ocupa afanosamente de atender a los invitados. Sin embargo, sus tareas pronto la absorben por completo. Abrumada y agitada, Marta dirige una mirada indignada hacia María y luego cuestiona a Jesús, exigiendo de hecho que intervenga a su favor. Su respuesta se ha convertido en la frase clásica que tantos de nosotros necesitamos escuchar: “Marta, Marta, muchas cosas te preocupan y te inquietan, siendo así que una sola es necesaria” (énfasis añadido).

¿Cuál es esa una sola cosa? Jesús mismo, por supuesto. Él es, única y siempre, “la mejor parte”.

Hoy también leemos la carta de Pablo a los Gálatas. En ella, admite haber sido un celoso defensor de sus tradiciones. Aferrado a las creencias de sus antepasados, Pablo tenía la mirada puesta en la misión de defender dichas creencias a cualquier precio. Con total transparencia, Pablo reconoce que su “conducta anterior” se centraba en perseguir a la Iglesia de Dios e incluso en intentar destruirla. Todo cambió cierto día, camino de Damasco, cuando tuvo un encuentro que lo transformó todo: cuando escuchó la voz de Jesús diciendo: “Saulo, Saulo, ¿por qué me persigues?” (Hechos 9, 4).

¿Puedes escuchar el eco de Jesús llamando a Saulo por su nombre, tal como lo hizo con Marta?

El Señor comprendía desde lejos cada uno de sus pensamientos. Tras escudriñarlos, conocía íntimamente tanto lo bueno como lo malo de ellos, y deseaba que cada uno eligiera “la mejor parte”. Para Pablo, esto significaba aceptar la realidad de la Nueva Alianza y asumir su llamada única a difundir la Buena Nueva entre los gentiles. Para Marta, significaba no permitir que su lista de tareas pendientes prevaleciera sobre el tiempo dedicado a escuchar a Dios, para así poder ofrecer libremente la gracia de sus dones: esos carismas de hospitalidad y servicio. La pregunta sobre la que tú y yo estamos invitados a reflexionar hoy es: ¿qué significa elegir la mejor parte en nuestras propias vidas? 

Al considerar juntos los casos de Pablo y Marta, su celo nos enseña a estar atentos a cómo nuestra propia justicia puede cegarnos ante lo que el Señor intenta hacer; o a cómo, en medio de nuestro ajetreo, podemos haber dejado de escuchar, volviéndonos sordos a lo que el Señor quiere decirnos. Mantente preparado para que el Señor intervenga en esos momentos. Escucha el eco de tu propio nombre cuando Él te llama con una corrección suave y tierna.

Al igual que a Pablo y a Marta, Jesús nos invita a elegir la mejor parte. Pero, ante todo, debemos escuchar su voz. Que hoy recordemos este llamado a escuchar y la necesidad de decir en voz alta: “Guíame, Señor, por el camino eterno”. Oremos con sinceridad: “Que no se haga mi voluntad, sino la tuya”.

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Raine Pyne is a wife, a mother, and a longtime public school educator. She is a member of the Word on Fire Institute’s Writing Community, a student in the Theology of the Body Institute’s Certification program, and a graduate student with Word on Fire at Catholic University of America in the Master of Arts in Evangelization & Culture program. Raine has previously served as a parish catechist and women’s retreat leader. She is passionate about learning, language, and the ever deepening journey of faith.

Feature Image Credit: Anton Dorph, art.diocesan.com/stock-photo/jesus-visiting-the-sisters-martha-and-mary-18866/

The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.