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| Vermeer's "Christ in the House of Martha and Mary." |
Sunday's word of God takes us back over thirty-five hundred years ago to a biblical legend about hospitality. Here Abraham, a man of extraordinary faith, sees three strangers traveling out of the desert. He treats them like family. He serves them a great meal. Abraham and Sarah welcomed the strangers as though they were welcoming God. The legend invites us to welcome those who enter our lives.
In the Gospel according to Luke, we have the story of Martha and Mary. How many are sympathetic to Martha? Martha and Mary can symbolize the dual dimensions within each one of us: serving and praying. We have to be a combination: listening to the word of God in prayer, on the one hand, and doing good for others, on the other.
Often, we fret or worry. We’re busy shopping, chauffeuring, doing chores, working long hours. We often forget the one necessity: our relationship with God. Do we have our priorities straight? Mary certainly did.
Some of you may have read Rick Warren’s popular book The Purpose-Driven Life. Life isn’t simply a matter of acquiring and spending. Our ultimate purpose is to live in a right relationship with God and one another—yes, eternal life.
The Martha in us challenges us to actively reach out with our gifts and talents and treasure. Become involved, for example, in some volunteer service in the parish or community.
And the Mary dimension challenges us to pray. There are many different ways to pray, to bring to consciousness the awesome presence of God in our lives: familiar prayers like the Our Father or the Rosary, prayers of praise like the Psalms, slowly meditating on a biblical text, petitioning God for a favor, sitting quietly and feeling God’s presence within us (through, for example, a mantra), actively participating in Sunday liturgies.
Almost anything can be a pathway into the awesome presence of God. But there is one common denominator: prayer lifts our minds and hearts up to God. Begin every day by spending at least ten to fifteen minutes in prayer, in the presence of God. People find ways to tune into God’s presence as they go about their daily routine. Yes, take time to slow down and tune into the presence of God. And on the weekend, gather with our community to celebrate the liturgy, the mass, the source and summit of the Christian life.
By all means, God is the center. The word of God invites us to reflect on praying and serving. At least efifteen minutes a day in the presence of God is a good start for deepening our relationship with God, a God who assures us, "do not be afraid; I am with you always."
