Luke 10: 38-42
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “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.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Pause for a Moment of Awe
It was 11:57, and Carmen was giving the Examen reflection at 12:30. My eyes darted between the clock and her document, silently calculating whether we could get a decent reflection together in time. I was in full Martha-mode.
“Would it be ok if I change this line to…?”
“Maybe we could phrase your reflection question this way…”
We got to question three of five: “Where have you noticed God?” Carmen spoke about serving a meal in a shelter. She named the dignity of the people she served and felt God inviting her to open her heart to them. I glanced at the clock again: 12:14. I felt the urge to bask with her in Jesus’ presence, but my focus on the final product beckoned me to move along. Which part would I choose? Mary’s or Martha’s?
I realized that moving along meant missing the point. So, I asked her to say more – not to beef up her response to some prompt on the page, but to sit at the feet of Jesus together in awe of his work in her.
12:22. Having taken our moment to marvel, we hurriedly wrote the final responses, just in time.
Where does your need to be productive interrupt the opportunity to listen to God at work? How can you pause for a moment of awe today?
—Brian Martindale, SJ, is a Jesuit scholastic of the Midwest Province serving as a campus minister and math teacher at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School – Twin Cities.
Prayer
At this instant,
as I arrive here,
God is present waiting for me.
God always arrives before me,
desiring to connect with me
even more than my most intimate friend.
I take a moment to and greet my loving Lord.
—The Irish Jesuits, Sacred Space 2023