August 16 — On the Gospel read on the Festival of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, Luke xxx., &c

Consider, first, how, our Lord going into a certain toum, a certain woman named Martha received him into her house; ana she had a sister called Mary, who sat also at the Lords feet, and heard his word, c. O how happy, my soul, were these holy sisters, who had it thus in their power to receive the Lord of glory into their house, to entertain him there, to hear his word, to converse familiarly with him, and to minister to him! O how ha[y should we have been, if we had lived at that time, and could have been favoured in the like manner! But stay, my soul, and see if this same Lord does not offer thee the like favours at present; and if it be not entirely thy own fault, if thou art not a great saint in consequence of them. For does he not still abide amongst us, in the blessed sacrament? Does he not there come in person into our house? Does he not bring all his treasures of divine grace with him, to enrich our souls 1 May we not, by a spiritual communion, invite him to us, whenever we please? May we not, by a spirit of recollection and mental prayer, entertain him, and converse with him as long as we please? Does he not often visit us with his graces 1 Does he not often stand at the door of the heart and knock? Have we not his heavenly word with us? May we not minister to him when we please, and serve him in the persons of the poor? which service he declares he looks upon as done to himself. If so, what reason have we to regret our not having lived at the tine of our Saviour, seeing he is always living with us 1

Consider, secondly, how very differently these two holy sisters were then employed; the one being busy about much serving tnd full of care in providing for the entertainment of our Lord j che other sitting still at his feet, and quietly attending to his divine word. And yet they were both employed about him; they ooth dedicated themselves to his love and service. In this they represent to u's two different kinds of lives of the servants of God, che ojctive and the contemplative; or, if you please, two different kinds of functions of a Christian life, the one consisting in action the other in contemplation; the one in a variety of good works, done with a good intention, for the service of Christ; the other in a more quiet retirement and recollection, and a more close attention to God by mental prayer. Both of these are good, both of them highly commendable, because both of them tend to the love and service of God; but the latter is preferred by the judgment of truth itself, because it makes that its occupation here, which is to be its eternal employment hereafter. Mary has chosen the better part, which shall not be taken from her. Learn thou, my soul, of Martha, ever to direct thy common actions, with all the functions and labours of thy calling, by a pure intention, to the service of Christ; learn to sanctify them all by calling ia Mary, that is, recollection and prayer, to thy assistance. But learn sdso of Mary, to retire, as often as thou canst, from the noise and hurry of the world, to the feet of Christ; learn of her, as often as thou hast thy choice, to choose that better part of contemplation and love, which is to be thy eternal occupation.

Consider, thirdly, that this gospel is applied by the church to the blessed Virgin and to her assumption, because she was the happy woman that received/m an extraordinary manner, Christ into her house; she perfectly fulfilled in her life, both the functions of Martha and of Mary; of Martha, in the services she rendered to our Lord, in his humanity, for all the thirty years he was under her roof; and of Mary, by the perpetual contemplation and love of his divinity; so that, even in the midst of the duties of the active life, the eye of her heart was always upon her God, she ever attended to the one thing necessary, she ever made choice of the better part, and, on this day of her exaltation, she was put in the full possession of it for eternity, according to that, Mary has chosen the better part, which shall not be taken from her.

Conclude, O my soul, to fellow her great example in choosing always the belter part, that thou mayst partake in her everlasting happiness.