It is so easy for us to get wrapped up in all the things we need to do and the things that need to be accomplished that we lose sight of what the most important thing is. Isn’t it possible that we can get too wrapped up in the cares of life? The highest priority in our lives needs to be choosing the good part, as Mary did in today’s Gospel: to learn of Jesus so that we can become like him. It’s a love and devotion to Him that makes everything else of secondary importance. Otherwise, how can we be his disciples?
This is not an excuse to be lazy and not to take responsibility for anything. We are doers of the Word and not just hearers. But what we do is led by the Spirit, whose voice we learn to hear by choosing the good part. There is no blessing in running our lives based on our own understanding of what is important. Mary understood this and needed to learn from Jesus. It’s when we do that, that we can be a blessing, because then all of our works are Spirit-driven. Love causes us to listen, to learn, and to keep his commandments.