Good, Better, Best ~ Deacon Dominic Messina

We’re all familiar with the terms, Good, Better, Best. We use these categories often and in many ways. For example, There was a parish priest who was leaving one Congregation, to go to another. Almost everyone liked him because he was a Good Priest.  On his last Sunday, After Mass, he stood at the doors of the church, and as the people left they all wished him well. One woman shook his hand and said, “ We will all miss you.” He replied modestly, “Oh, thank you, but I’m sure that The bishop  will find you someone Better to replace me.” She replied, “That’s what he promised us, last time.”     Yes  Good and   Better

As another example let us take my favorite topic, Food. You’re at a restaurant with friends, and you’re the only one who has been there before. The dessert cart comes around, and you say to your companions as you point, “This one is good, I like that one a little bit better, but the one over there, that’s the Best!” yes, Good, Better, Best. You see, Value rankings are important to us. We’re taught early in life that Bad is the enemy of Good. However, in our constant struggle between good choices and bad choices, we all too frequently opt for the bad ones. Then we repent, we recommit ourselves to the good, and we are Satisfied. But we continue doing the same things over and over again.


If we didn’t, we wouldn’t need ReconciliationAs important as this may seem, there is another area which we may struggle with, much more often. Something that keeps most of us from becoming the person God wants us to be. And surprisingly, it is not so much the choices that we make between  Good and Bad. It is the choices we make between the Good and the Best.  This is something we don’t think about much. Yet, surprisingly, The Good can be the Enemy of the Best,  Sometimes even more than the Bad. Because You see, most of The time we are aware of what is bad, so we can combat it fairly easily. However most of the times we become so involved in a multitude of Good things, that we deprive ourselves the Best things.

We over-extend ourselves, then we wonder why, even though we are doing a lot of good things, we aren’t experiencing Joy in most of them. And  What often makes life confusing, is that most of our involvements are essentially good causes, but as I said, sometimes Good things, not Bad things are the enemies of the Best things. Let’s take for example the story of Martha and Mary. Jesus, in his travels, stopped in Bethany to spend the night with some of his best friends, Lazarus, and his sisters Martha and Mary, and  His visit caused different reactions in the two women of the house, even though both were obviously devoted to him.

Here is Jesus, the teacher, surrounded by his friends. Mary is among them, listening and learning. On the other hand, Martha’s sense of responsibility as a Good hostess keeps her away from the group. She becomes increasingly irritated by Mary’s inactivity and finally  becomes so angry that she appeals to Jesus. “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?” Now, at this point of course Martha is confident that she will have an ally in Jesus, because there’s no doubt that everything she’s doing is worthwhile. There’s a large group, it’s her house, and they needed to be fed. But Jesus, ever full of surprises, reproves Martha, not Mary. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her Now, We aren’t told what Martha’s reaction was to this, but I am sure that we have all wondered about it. So let’s try to clarify Jesus response to Martha. You see, the point was, that Jesus wasn’t calling Martha away from  something Bad. He called her from the Good to the Best and skipped right over the Better.

So now I guess you are wondering how can Jesus’ reply to Martha, help us, in our lives Today?  Could it be possible that many of us, like Martha, have so Many good things that we are trying to do in our lives, that we become overwhelmed, and are hampered from achieving the  Best? Well, there are two possible reasons for our over-involvement in good things. The first is a lack of realism about our own limits. We’re reluctant to admit that there are boundaries to our lives, or that our Physical and Mental resources are limited. Sometimes we work with a Superman or Superwoman complex. We feel responsible for everything and everybody. This is partially a failure of faith. It’s the refusal to trust some things to God and some things to other people. A phrase I like is.  “Let go and let God” Second, we may get overly involved in so many Good things because we misunderstand the nature of our own worth. Many of us work so hard because, deep down inside, because we believe that our worth is based on pleasing others. Even worse, we may feel that our worth is based on pleasing God.

The problem is, that when we  become unrealistic about our world “out there,” and insecure about our world “in here,” we may become committed to too many good things. And, God has something to say to us on both counts. First, “You are NOT everything.” Quit feeling responsible for running the universe. God managed things before you got here, and God will manage when you’re gone. Second, “You are NOT nothing.” God loves you as a parent loves a child. You don’t have to earn God’s favor, or justify your existence. If we can realize these truths, we can begin to re-establish our priorities, We will then  be free to ask  not, “Which of these demands on my time are good?”  but, “Which of these demands on my time are best?” If our relationships are more important than our accomplishments for example, then certain people need more of our time, and certain projects need less. If quality is of more value than quantity, then we need to re-dedicate ourselves to the things that nurture our souls, instead of using  our time and energy in tending  the temporary. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God.” To do so puts everything else in perspective. You see, The incomparable beauty of Jesus’ life was largely in its simplicity. It was the simplicity of single-mindedness. He knew who he was, and  He was clear about the meaning and purpose of his life. Can we find the same beauty and simplicity in our lives today?
 
In a home, in Bethany 2000 years ago, Jesus called his friends and especially Martha, away from a thousand good things, toward a few of the very best things. Today, He calls us, and especially you,…… to do the same.

God Bless
Deacon Dominic Messina