One Thing is Necessary (Tuesday, Week 27, Year 2)

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In life, only one thing is necessary. Other things are secondary. A story was once told of a man by name, Mr. Busington, who was desirous to gain wisdom. Mr. Busington went to school; and at the end of his education, he only came out with facts and figures. He said OK, “Let me try business, and see if I would be wise”. And he ended up becoming cunning and smart businesswise. Yet, he still felt that need for wisdom. He tried craft, and ended up being skillful but not wise. He tried pleasures, but only gained a feeling of more emptiness. Mr. Busington got fed up, and said that he would never know wisdom. One day, while in the Church listening to the word of God, some flashes of enlightenment came into his mind. And he confessed that that moment was the beginning of a real encounter with “wisdom”. In life there are so many things to be done. But one thing is needful. We thank God that Mr. Busington later discovered that “one thing” that is needful.

When we take a look at the gospel reading (cf. Luke 10:38-42), we may feel that Jesus was unfair in his reaction to the complaint of Martha, a woman who was running around trying to prepare some dishes for the entertainment of such a great visitor like Jesus. We may have thought that courtesy demands that Mary should have helped her sister Martha who was doing so many things alone for the sake of the great visitor in their midst. We may have expected Jesus to tell Mary to go and help her sister. But his response to Martha’s complaint was: “You are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. And Mary has chosen the good portion”. Does it mean that Jesus disapproved of what Martha was doing? Not at all! He only emphasized that it is much more important to listen to God than to be worried about so many things. The word of God nourishes our spirit as food nourishes our body. Martha was like someone who works from Monday to Sunday for the needs of the body without caring to attend to the soul and spirit.

In the first reading (cf. Gal. 1:13-24), St Paul said few things about his post-conversion experience and the beginning of his journey in the Lord. Before he began his active ministry after his conversion, Paul thought it wise to spend three uninterrupted quality years in the Arabian deserts listening to and communing with God. He knew that a huge task awaited him and he considered it very necessary to listen to God for three years before he actively involves himself in the task of evangelization. From time to time, the Bible also tells us that Jesus withdrew into the hills to communicate with the Father. And this was the propelling force behind his active ministry.

We all live very active and busy lives. That is commendable. Of course, we must be active to survive. But then, active life becomes boring, less productive and meaningless if it is not fueled by the contemplative life. We often fret and busy ourselves with thousands of activities, forgetting that one thing is needful. How often do we set aside some moments of prayer for quality communion with God? May we never lose sight of the fact that one thing is needful.    




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