Jul 18, 2010 / 06:48 am
Before Sunday's Angelus prayer from the intimate courtyard of his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the need to listen to the Word of God. As Mary does in Sunday's Gospel, we must learn to choose the "best portion" in our relationship with the Lord.
The small inner square of the apostolic was bustling with people at noon on Sunday, taken over by a group of Spaniards promoting the canonization cause for a young man killed in the Civil War and an especially vocal group of young Salesians from Poland called the "Bosco Team."
During his pre-Angelus catechesis, Holy Father noted that with the arrival of summer comes vacation time and, thus, a "favorable moment" to bring our focus back to what is most important in life: "listening to the Word of the Lord." We are reminded of this, he said, in Sunday's Gospel reading, which is centered around Jesus' visit to Mary and Martha.
The sisters host Jesus in their home, Pope Benedict XVI recalled, Mary sitting at his feet and listening to him and Martha occupying herself with serving the "exceptional" guest.