Jesus Said to Martha: Mary Chose The Best
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Por: Salvador I. Reding Vidaña | Fuente: Catholic.net

For the Convent of the Visitation of St. Mary.

There is never a shortage of those who say that cloister nuns, who have hard praying, should go out to meet others that need help. Is there reason in that? No. Let us see.

St. Luke tells us in his gospel (10, 38-42) the following: “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Responding, the Lord said: 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Well, the same with the nuns locked up, praying. With a privileged vocation, which must undoubtedly be very strong to give up so much: they decide to dedicate their lives, the only one they have, completely, to praise the Lord, to sit or bow at the feet of the Master, to converse with Him, that that is the prayer. Live long silences, meditations…

Popes have told us several times that the prayers of these women and of the cloister monks, are worthy of the Lord's attention and for those prayers asking for the Church, for men, for the dead, provokes He has compassion and mercy to meet many of our needs.

Jesus repeatedly taught us the great value of prayer, and asked his disciples, and all of us his followers, to pray, to pray to the Father, to do it in His name, and that if we do it together, two or more , what we ask will be granted, if that is His will, according to what is best for us. Moreover, those cloister religious communities, far from the world and dedicated in prayer to ask for us, move the will of God. Jesus himself, the gospels reveal to us, spent a lot of time praying, and in solitude.

Those who live in the cloister, dedicating their lives to prayer, have chosen the best (like Mary, Martha's sister), while many others strive, we strive, to the chores of the world, whether in the church or outside it, which is not bad, it is only different. The Mystical Body has many different parts, and each with its importance, its role.

We may well, we must, thank the Lord for having inspired such enormous vocational grace to the religious men and women who, together with the Lord, pray a lifetime for those of us who are dedicated to the chores of the world.

But there is something else: to those of the world, it is our turn to thank the Lord for those who dedicate their lives to prayer, and to ask for all of them, to take care of them, protect them, thank them for persevering in their vocation, and that he seeks new vocations of cloister dedicated to pray, to choose the best, like Mary, Martha´s sister.