The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." The Lord said to her 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."

Even when we are acting charitably and mercifully, we can sometimes lose sight of what’s important in life. We can become all consumed with our “mission” that we forget the real reason why we seek to know, love, and serve our neighbors. We do it for God! Because we love His Divine Image within those we serve. We also can get so caught up in our daily lives that we forget to take time to sit at the feet of Christ and listen to him in silent prayer. In a world where we are constantly bombarded by images, sounds, and all manner of tasks to do, we can fail to remember to open our eyes, ears, and hands to God. There is need of only one thing: allowing God to speak to us in the silence of souls and then acting on the inspirations He sends us through the Holy Spirit.

Do we take time out of our busy schedule to listen to God? Are we choosing the lesser part of listening to our worries or the greater part of listening to the Lord of Hope? In what ways can we create a spirit of peace in the daily storms of the world?

O Lord, we have need of only one thing: you.

Amen.