RADIANT

Ex 34:29-35; Ps 99 Holy is the Lord our God;  Luke 10:38-42

Today is the feast of St Martha.

We see in the first reading that Moses' encounter with God, being in his presence alters his appearance, "the skin of his face had become radiant while he conversed with the Lord. "

This is an important reality check for us as we try to diagnose whether to not our prayer life is real.

Does the conversation we have with God change us, alter us?  Does it have an effect on our life and the way we are perceived?

This does not mean that our physical countenance should be changed like that of Moses, but it does suggest a real possibility of our life being changed, whether it be our temperament or our personality or the way we deal with life as it unfolds.  Something in us changes when we have a real encounter with the living Lord.

Are we changed?  Do people see something in us that we probably don't see in ourselves?  Can they perceive that we talk to God?

Something to ponder!

Pope Francis in one of his daily homilies mentioned these words, "Amazement is a great grace, it is the grace that God gives us in the encounter with Jesus Christ.  It is something that makes us lose our heads a bit out of joy."


What is the difference between Martha and Mary as we read and discover them in the gospel of Luke 10:38-42.  Martha is terribly busy.  She is caught up in her work, in the task at hand.  She only thinks about what needs to be done next.  Mary, her sister, is amazed at the presence of Jesus.  She has completed lost her head, at least that is what Martha thinks, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?" She has lost her head.

If only Martha would be willing to lose her head in amazement then maybe she would enjoy the work rather than be overwhelmed by it.

How quickly her anxiety and worry could be transformed into Joy.

These words of Jesus are always an invitation to all of us, "There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

What about us?  How often do we settle for less rather than the better part of life and love?  How often do get so blinded by the task at hand that we forget about the presence of Christ in our midst, He who journeys with us?

I find myself even now thankful for this gospel and this feast day of St Martha.  We are gearing up for a new school year and there is so much that needs to be done.  We have to hire these people and order those things and get that done.  We are two weeks out and it is just overwhelming.  Then this passage hits me like a ton of bricks.

I ask myself if I am amazed by the presence of God who journeys with me.  I breathe.  I take a deep breath.  I set aside the anxiety and worry and trust.  The better part is here for the taking in the task at hand.

I am amazed at all that god will do over the next two weeks.  I am amazed that he has asked me to be part of it.  I am amazed I get to sit at his feet in few moments at Mass.  Amazement is a grace.

This is the difference between Martha and Mary.

God looks for us, god waits for us, God finds us before we look for him.  He finds us in our anxiety and in our worry and he comes to bring amazement back into out life. And this is what the gaze of Jesus does to Martha.  It puts everything back into perspective.