Tuesday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
Gal. 1: 13-24
Luke 10: 38-42
I always thought that it would be cool to be a doctor, and I’d really like to try working as one, but then that whole medical school thing gets in the way. You can’t just decide one day that you’re a doctor, you have to go and get the education first. Picky, picky, picky. Ok, so maybe it does help to have some information before you go out and try to do something. It isn’t unlike the problem that Mary faces in the Gospel reading today. Jesus comes to the house of his friends Mary and Martha. Martha is up, running around, making sure that everything necessary to be hospitable to her guests is being done. Sister Mary, on the other hand, is sitting at the feet of Jesus, learning, taking in all the knowledge that Jesus has to give. Martha turns to Jesus and basically tells Jesus to tell Martha to get of her derriere and help with all of the serving. Jesus tells Martha to stop worrying, Mary is doing what needs to be done, Mary is listening and learning. Now is Jesus saying that it’s ok to sit around and watch someone else work? No, that is not what Jesus is saying at all. What Martha is doing is not unimportant, it is necessary. Cooking, serving, cleaning, all of those things have to be done, but none of those things are lasting. What Mary was doing was getting educated, she was getting the information she would need to begin telling others about Jesus, about his message, about the Kingdom of God. She couldn’t properly speak of Jesus without learning first. That is what we are called to do. The old debate about contemplative versus active is silly. It is not a matter of either\ or, but a matter of both\ and. We are called to learn, to contemplate to prepare, to prepare ourselves to go out into the world and spread the message of the Kingdom of God. Just like none of us can just one day decide we are doctors without the requisite education, we must have the information we need about our faith so that we can then be active. We have to do all the other stuff, it is necessary if we plan to eat, have clean clothes and the like. But without the gift of Jesus, the knowledge of our faith, without taking the time to stop and listen, the rest doesn’t matter. Stop, sit at the feet of Jesus, listen and learn. Stop worrying, the other stuff will wait, take the time now to hear, learn and live.
Deacon John Simmons
Oct. 10, 2006
Gal. 1: 13-24
Luke 10: 38-42
I always thought that it would be cool to be a doctor, and I’d really like to try working as one, but then that whole medical school thing gets in the way. You can’t just decide one day that you’re a doctor, you have to go and get the education first. Picky, picky, picky. Ok, so maybe it does help to have some information before you go out and try to do something. It isn’t unlike the problem that Mary faces in the Gospel reading today. Jesus comes to the house of his friends Mary and Martha. Martha is up, running around, making sure that everything necessary to be hospitable to her guests is being done. Sister Mary, on the other hand, is sitting at the feet of Jesus, learning, taking in all the knowledge that Jesus has to give. Martha turns to Jesus and basically tells Jesus to tell Martha to get of her derriere and help with all of the serving. Jesus tells Martha to stop worrying, Mary is doing what needs to be done, Mary is listening and learning. Now is Jesus saying that it’s ok to sit around and watch someone else work? No, that is not what Jesus is saying at all. What Martha is doing is not unimportant, it is necessary. Cooking, serving, cleaning, all of those things have to be done, but none of those things are lasting. What Mary was doing was getting educated, she was getting the information she would need to begin telling others about Jesus, about his message, about the Kingdom of God. She couldn’t properly speak of Jesus without learning first. That is what we are called to do. The old debate about contemplative versus active is silly. It is not a matter of either\ or, but a matter of both\ and. We are called to learn, to contemplate to prepare, to prepare ourselves to go out into the world and spread the message of the Kingdom of God. Just like none of us can just one day decide we are doctors without the requisite education, we must have the information we need about our faith so that we can then be active. We have to do all the other stuff, it is necessary if we plan to eat, have clean clothes and the like. But without the gift of Jesus, the knowledge of our faith, without taking the time to stop and listen, the rest doesn’t matter. Stop, sit at the feet of Jesus, listen and learn. Stop worrying, the other stuff will wait, take the time now to hear, learn and live.
Deacon John Simmons
Oct. 10, 2006
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