"... Mary has chosen the better part,
and it will not be taken away from her."
Dear Friend,
Martha and Mary were the sisters of Lazarus (John 11:1-44), who was a dear friend of Jesus.
Please read to your family the Gospel for the coming Sunday according to Luke (10:38-40) when
Jesus visited the sisters with His disciples. As you read this Gospel to your family, request them to reflect on what Jesus was teaching His disciples. Pay particular attention to the response of the sisters to the presence of Jesus in their home.
How did each one respond? Try to understand why the sisters responded the way they did. Ask
the members of your family what each one will do if ever Jesus drops in to your home for a visit.
How will each one receive Him?
After the sharing, read the words of Jesus to Martha (Luke 10: 41-42):
"Martha, Martha, you worry and are troubled about many things, whereas only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her."
Note that Jesus did not stop Martha from serving Him. Jesus just called the attention of Martha on her worrying about how to make Jesus comfortable and how to serve Him. Instead, Jesus wanted Martha to focus on a priority, which Mary was doing – listening to Him, that is, learning from Him.
Jesus would emphasize this teaching to His disciples in Luke 12:22-31 when He said, "Seek rather the Kingdom and these things will be given to you as well." You may want to read these verses also to your family to have a deeper understanding of what Jesus was teaching His disciples.
Prayer and Reflection ~
Reflect and then share with your family how you would respond to the presence of Jesus in your
home – become more of a "Mary" than a "Martha" to Jesus.
This means listening more to Jesus in prayer each day, spending more time with Him.
Invite the family to spend more time listening to Jesus.
Joe & Charito
THE CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF MANILA'S
ONLINE RESOURCE FOR FAMILY MINISTRIES
www.simbahayan.org
servants@simbahayan.org
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