“Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42
Yesterday, I went to visit Salome. It’s so nice to have my friend and sister back in my life. Little by little, because of her, some of my other neighbors have opened their hearts to me once again. Even Mary of Clopas, whose heart had hardened against me, came over when she heard that I was visiting Salome.
The three of us walked down to the town market together. While we were there, a caravan that was on its way to Capernaum came through our town. They stopped at the market to get provisions. While I was buying cheese, I overheard two women asking if Mary, the mother of Jesus, lived nearby. I turned towards them and I said: “I am the mother of Jesus.”
They came running towards me and they introduced themselves as Martha and Mary. They told me that they were sisters and that they also had a brother named Lazarus. They said that they were friends of Jesus, and that they were on their way to Capernaum to join His disciples. Their brother Lazarus was already there.
I was very happy to see them, and I asked them if they had time to visit. They said that the caravan would probably stay in Nazareth for a couple of hours. I joined my two sisters-in-law and I introduced them to Martha and Mary. The five of us walked together back to Salome’s house who was the one that lived closer to the center of town.
We sat in the living room, and Martha and Mary shared how they had met Jesus:
“We had heard about Him, but we never imagined that He would visit our little village called Bethany,” said Martha. “When we heard that He was there, we invited Him to stay in our house.”
“He came over with all His disciples,” said Mary. “There were at least twenty men talking in our living room. I know that it is not common for a woman to join the men, but His voice and His stories were so captivating, that I could not hold back. I sat at His feet listening to every word that was coming out of His lips.”
“I, on the other hand,” said Martha, “was running back and forth between the kitchen and the living room trying to serve all of them. I was upset that my sister was not helping me, so I approached Jesus and said to Him: ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.’ (1)
“What did my Son say?” I asked her.
“He said these words to my sister,” answered Mary. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (2)
“What did He mean by ‘the good part’?” asked Salome.
“I think He meant that Mary had chosen the restful part while I chose the service part which was exhausting” answered Martha. “Yes, Mary definitely chose the good part but somebody had to serve the food.”
“I’m not sure that was what He meant,” said Mary. “What do you think, Mother, do you know what is ‘the good part’?”
I was touched that Mary had called me Mother. I felt that little by little, I was becoming the Mother of all. “Yes, Mary,” I answered her. “I know what ‘the good part’ is because I have experienced it for thirty years. ‘The good part’ is Jesus Himself. Being in His presence, at that moment when He was in your living room, was more important than serving Him like Martha was doing. Serving Him is important too, but at that precise moment, Mary, you had chosen ‘the good part’ because you were in His presence listening to every word that He had to say, while Martha was missing out on the opportunity to be with Him, to embrace Him, to learn from Him and to allow His love to consume her.”
They both looked at me with tears in their eyes. Martha said to me: “You are right, Mother. I was so worried and preoccupied about the ‘little things’ that I missed out on the most important thing, ‘the good part.’ I missed out on being fully present with Jesus. My sister definitely chose ‘the good part.’”
We shared a simple meal with Martha and Mary, and then we gave them some provisions for their trip. They promised me that they would tell Jesus that they had seen me, and they would tell Him that I loved Him and missed Him. Martha also promised me that this time, she would choose ‘the good part.’ Then, they were on their way, but they left behind their joyful and contagious happy mood. I found myself singing and flying high for days after they were gone.
Reflection:
Mary chose “the good part” while Martha chose to run back and forth until she was exhausted. I have also been given the opportunity to choose “the good part.” I can sit at Jesus’ feet, spend time with Him, and allow Him to embrace me, or I can spend my days running myself ragged. He is inviting me today to spend time with Him instead of serving Him. What will I choose?
Copyright © 2020 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.
References:
- Luke 10:40
- Luke 10:41-42
Resources from the following books are being used on this journey:
1. The Mystical City of God: A Popular Abridgement of the Divine History and Live of the Virgin Mother of God by Venerable Mary of
Agreda
2. The World’s First Love: Mary, Mother of God by Fulton J. Sheen
3. Las Palabras Calladas: Diario de Maria de Nazaret by Pedro Miguel Lamet
4. My Soul Magnifies the Lord: A Scriptural Journey with Mary by Jeanne Kun
All Bible references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise specified.
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