eeny, meeny, miny, moe
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July 19, 2025When I was a student, there was one type of test or exam that I really like, - the multiple choice and I would always treat it as one of the easiest types of exams. And if the choices given are almost the same and seem to be all are correct, just do the “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” thing.
Throughout our lives, we are constantly faced with multiple choices, from basic decisions to life-changing ones.There are choices we have to make instantly and choices that require us to have more time to think about. The power of our choice can have an impact on our future. Making the right choice is crucial in our life as it may determine the kind of life we have to live and what kind of path we must take.
In our Gospel, Martha and Mary made different choices. Mary decided to sit at the feet of Jesus listening while Martha was busy preparing the food. When Martha asked Jesus to tell her sister Mary to help her out, Jesus reminded her “Mary has chosen the better part…”
Picking the right choice is not as easy as doing the “eeny,meeny, miny, moe” thing. Sometimes, it might even require us to step out from our comfort zones and have the willingness to take the risks it brings. We need even to face our fears and overcome certain obstacles. Picking the right choice is getting hold of that “only one thing” that can build a life that is fulfilling and meaningful. Mary got hold of that “only one thing… and it will not be taken from her.”
However, this does not mean that what Martha chose is not as fulfilling and meaningful as with Mary’s. Last Sunday’s Gospel has reminded us that like the Good Samaritan, we have to “go and do the same” and this Sunday, it reminds us to “come and sit” at the feet of Jesus. A certain spiritual writer said, “There is a time to go and do; there is time to listen and reflect. Knowing which is, is a matter of spiritual discernment.” Spiritual discernment is a process of making the right choice at a given time in a particular situation.
It is important for us to make the choice to go and do – serving, loving, sharing our faith and to do all those things that Jesus instructs us to do. But it is also equally important to spend some quality time with Jesus – to pray,to worship, - to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen and learn from him. Picking up the choice to serve Jesus is as important as listening to him. Picking either of the choices must come therefore with the right attitude and motivation. Why we are doing what we are doing matters.
We can always choose the better part and hold on to that one important thing so long as in choosing, we choose the ways of love, we choose that one thing that makes our life meaningful which will not be taken away from us.