The Priority

Before rehearsal, we sat together for a Bible sharing of about half an hour to study the gospel reading for the Sunday Mass today. After such a preliminary exercise, we would be better able to understand the homily of the priest. The passage today is the famous story of Martha and Mary in the gospel of Luke.

When Jesus passed by a village, Martha invited him to stay in her house. She extended Jesus her hospitality, making dishes, serving Jesus busily while her sister Mary sat at Jesus' feet, listening to his teaching (Luke 10:39-40a). Martha complained to Jesus.
Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me (Luke 10:40b).
Then Jesus made the following famous answer.
Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things;
one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her (Luke 10:41b-42).

Wulstan, my son, started off sharing with us the worries and cares he had recently gone through. Of course, he could not hide his elation of finishing his 4-part Mass in which he had written 12 amen's into the Gloria! By the way, we plan to sing it during the parish feast.
James Chan, the elder, said he had already chosen the good portion, pointing to his girl friend sitting next to him.
The organist, James Chan, the younger, began to philosophize. He said that when solving problems, we tended to do a lot of unnecessary things, missing out the most crucial step. What an interesting observation!
Sun, the altar boy, thought the family was the good portion. He was able to appreciate the hard work his parents had done, without which he would not be able to enjoy the good company he was enjoying.
Beleen, the girl friend of our president, made an observation which none of us had ever thought about before. She admired the directness of Martha who had no problem in voicing her complaint. True, out of courtesy or fear of offending people, many of us are reticent about the unfair treatments we receive.
Kenneth brought up the traditional interpretation of the story, explaining the two different spiritualities of mission and contemplation.
Joe focused on the second half. Whatever we had chosen, it should not be taken away from us.
Of course, we did not have time to explore what Jesus meant by "the good portion" which we would leave for the priest to explain in his homily. We finished our sharing with the hymn "Of my hand I give to You, O Lord". I was touched.

Fr. Milanese celebrated the mass in which more than 30 catechumens joined the Rite of Acceptance. He began his homily by pointing out the peculiar background of the story. It was a Jewish society. No respectable rabbi would accept the invitation of a woman into her house without a man in it. In this particular story of Luke, Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, was not mentioned. He was not in the house. Jesus' acceptance of Martha's invitation was unconventional. It could even be scandalous. But Jesus was known to be unconventional and had no fear of scandals. He came to break down all kinds of barriers we erected among ourselves. He was happy to mix with Pharisees and tax-collectors, sinners and the sick. Jesus wanted to share his eternal life with them and with us.
Fr. Milanese extended his welcome to the catechumens. They had chosen the good portion --- the salvation of God. They needed to continue to deepen their relation with Him through prayers and reading of the gospel. In the rite, each catechumen would receive a sign of the cross on his forehead as well as a copy of the gospel.
Turning to the traditional interpretation of the spiritualities represented by Martha and Mary, Fr. Milanese expressed his disagreement. He did not think that Martha represented the missionary type of spirituality and Mary the contemplative. Whatever they did, they did it with the same aim. Both of them did whatever they were doing to come close to Jesus.
But has not Jesus already come to us? Why busy ourselves with unimportant things? This is what we should learn from the contrast of these two great women. Set our priorities right. Some people are talented in running businesses. Some are talented in evaluation and reflection. Do whatever we feel comfortable to do, but do it with one aim --- getting close to Jesus.

Dear Lord, You come to bring us eternal life. You invite us to go to you to unload our burdens. I pray for my friends who are suffering from family problems. Save their families and their children. Amen.