It was a gift today to serve as a Supply Priest at Christ The King Parish in Lakeland, Florida. We lived in Lakeland in 1981-1982 when I was serving as Assistant Rector of St. David’s Episcopal Church (sadly no longer a congregation). The Gospel Story of Jesus being welcomed by the two sisters Martha and Mary gives us much to ponder in the times we are living in. (Lk 10: 38-42).
Fr. Ron Rolheiser, Roman Catholic Priest says it well:
”Today, a number of historical circumstances are blindly flowing together and accidentally conspiring to produce a climate within which it is difficult not just to think about God or to pray, but simply to have any interior depth whatsoever… We are distracting ourselves into spiritual oblivion… pathological busyness, distraction, and restlessness are major blocks today within our spiritual lives.”
This is the antidote is given by Jesus: “Do not focus on the many things of distraction, but focus on the one thing necessary – the unum necessarium.
It was Mary, said Jesus, who chose the better part: being present to the presence of God. It was choosing to be in loving union with the Real Presence of Jesus, interpersonal engagement, and to sit at his feet, listening to his word, being still in his presence. Mary took the posture of an apprentice to a teacher. She was becoming a disciple, a follower of The Way. And it will not be taken away from her – it alone is enduring.
Like both Martha and Mary, we are invited to ground our lives, our words and our actions in the grace, love, and presence of Christ. This is the pattern of Jesus: loving union first with his Father, then loving those he came to serve. Listening alway comes first.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Beautiful homily
Thank you for listening Jeff. I appreciate you.
Rob+