”There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her”

Today at Holy Mass we hear the story in the Gospel of Martha and Mary…Two sisters, each very different in the way they serve the Lord…For the purposes of this reflection, I do not want to focus on the difference of the two but instead ponder the words of Christ who addresses them at the end of the reading……”There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her”…….So here is the question(s) today…What is your one thing?……What is your goal in life?……And what are you doing actively to reach it?…….If we were honest and asked these question to most Catholic Americans, I think we would get a wide range of answers……I can only speak for me…..My goal is to get to heaven and bring as many people as possible with me, first and foremost my wife and children…..That is my ONE and ONLY goal…..Everything else supports that one goal……Interestingly enough, I recently saw a personalized license plate at a Catholic event for families and the license plate read…”One Goal”……That family got it right!……While its important to work hard in this life, get a good education, support your family, etc…….All those things are important and good…However, never losing focus on the “one goal” is the MOST important thing a husband and father can do for his family…Is this your “one goal”?……Do you take for granted that “everyone goes to heaven” no matter what?……If this is not your one goal, I invite you to ponder what I write today……And if you take for granted that “everyone goes to heaven” on “their terms”…I also invite you to do some reading and “think again”……Even if you live 100 years…Even if you achieve all sorts of accomplishments over the course of those 100 years….Life is short and eternity is forever…There is One Goal!….And the words of Christ today are a reminder…..”There is need of only one thing”

“Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance”

Years ago, my old pastor asked my wife and I to speak to all the young engaged couples who were about to get married in my parish…I would always begin my presentation to them with this, addressing the men specifically….”What is the goal of your marriage?”……….As Americans, we all make goals - Right?….So I would think since getting married is arguably one of the most important decisions of one's life, you would have a goal……So I would ask - ”What is the goal of your marriage?”….And to be honest, I never got the answer I was looking for, so I would tell them what that goal should be…………..”Your job as a husband is to get your wife and children to heaven - Nothing is even a close second!”…….And your job as a wife is to get your husband and children to heaven - Nothing is even a close second”…….And the couples, many of them who were in their twenties would stare at me, like I was crazy……But if that is not their goal, and I am going to be very blunt and honest right now - Who is the one who is really crazy!?!……Sadly, Catholics along with just about everyone else in America takes for granted that getting into heaven is a "given"…........I hate to burst your bubble, but Jesus himself did not say that…….We focus on non-sense and lose sight of the most important thing from which everything comes - Our relationship with God……If we get the “God part” of our life right, everything else will fall into place…….But people do not see it that way and then they wonder why “things fall apart”….One of the driving factors that make for a successful life and marriage for that matter is putting God first - Families that do that last and thrive….Statistics back up what I just wrote, so “don’t shoot the messenger”…….So as Jesus tells Mary today in the Gospel - ”There is need of only one thing” and if we get that “one thing right”, all the other “things” will fall into place…….That is why I asked the young couples about to get married - ”What is the goal of your marriage?”……..People need to be honest with themselves….If you study trends and look to people who have had successful lives, there are many factors that contribute to that reality….Putting God first is on top of that list….And as Jesus tells us today at Mass…..”Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her”

“Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him”

Today at Mass we hear the story of two sisters, Martha and Mary…We all know the story…But how do we apply what we heard today to our own life?….What is the most important thing to YOU?…..Do you “get lost” in the “weeds” of life only to forget that our soul is the ONLY thing that is immortal? - It ends up in one of two places……Americans like to make goals and that is a good thing…So today I propose you make another goal…How will I get myself and my family to heaven?…..The best way to set a goal is to write it down - That is what they taught me in Business School….Write down a goal for this year and establish three steps to make it happen….And then get to work!…..A husband and a father MUST set the tone for his home….He is the “rudder for the ship”…..If we as husbands and fathers, who MUST protect and provide for our families do not focus on the MOST important thing, which is to get our family to heaven - Frankly, the devil wins once again! - Don’t let that happen!……Set a goal and work to achieve it and as we are told today by Jesus himself….”There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her”