Sometimes, there is a tension within our spiritual lives; I would go even further: sometimes we NEED that tension to grow. The familiar Gospel story of Mary and Martha allows Jesus to give us an example of this in a real-life setting. The tension presented here is between contemplation and action. Or, it might be described as between prayer and service.
Which is the better part?
Listening to Jesus’ reply to Martha, contemplating God and listening to His teaching is the “… better part.” I think that most of us would agree; even Martha would probably agree, but she felt the need to be the hostess for lunch as more important at that moment. She could have ignored lunch; she could have simply sat at Jesus’ feet beside her sister and listened. Instead, she chose to stay busy in the kitchen, allowing hospitality to take a higher rank in her mind, even when she wanted it to be otherwise.
Her logic probably went something like: if Jesus’ tells Mary to help now, then lunch would be prepared twice as fast, and then we could both sit and listen. Jesus’ instruction however set a different balance: listen to God first, and then sort out the household chores.
An alternate path also holds true: make the preparation of the meal a time of service to God, and that becomes an equally important action. Our Offertory prayers at each celebration of Mass invite us to do just that: the bread and wine are both presented as an offering to God as “… the work of our hands…” With that prayer by the priest, all that we do with our hands, our minds, our backs, everything that occupies us daily between celebrations of the Eucharist can and ought to be offered to God as our gift of service. Everything that we do, that allow us to go to bed tired each day, ought to be the “work of our hands” as an offering to God.
When we make the common, ordinary tasks of work – at our jobs, cutting the grass and doing laundry, preparing meals, caring for our children – a form of prayer and service to God, we get closer to Jesus’ instruction to “… pray without growing weary…” (Luke 18:1), or as St. Paul instructed, to “… pray without ceasing…” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). So bring to God the offerings of our hands, the efforts of the past week each time we come to Mass. Allow our service to others, including our family, friends, co-workers and strangers, to be offered back as a service to God.
Then we will have served God by being Christ to one another. Then we would have made prayer and service not opposite forces, but one force, integrated in our lives as active contemplatives in a chaotic world.
Go forth and witness the Gospel with your life!
- Father Jim
Hospice Care Information
Faith at Home
These links provides you with the latest one-page resource for families, Faith At Home; it connects to the theme of the upcoming Sunday Liturgy. This resource is updated each week and can be found on the diocesan webpage at www.dioceseoftrenton.org/faith-at-home and en Español at www.dioceseoftrenton.org/fe-en-casa.
May God continue to bless us and keep us close to Him.
Please support the Society of St. Vincent de Paul so that together we can help local families in need. Those needing help should call the SVDP helpline at 856-291-7313. Click this link to visit the SVdP website: www.SVDPmoorestown.org
Local food pantries include:
St. Matthew's Church, 318 Chester Ave.
First Baptist Church, 19 West Main St., Moorestown
Bethel AME, 512 N. Church St., Moorestown
Prince of Peace 61 E Rte 70, Marlton, NJ 08053
SVDP also has Thinking of You cards available. A gift can be given to the poor in the name of someone special at your
request. You will be remembered in the prayers and works of the Moorestown Vincentians. We are so very grateful for your
generous ongoing donations.
Our Promise to Protect
The Diocese of Trenton is committed to the initiatives outlined in the U.S. Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in regard to the reporting and investigation of sexual abuse allegations involving minors. The Diocese has in place a Victim’s Assistance Coordinator, who is available to obtain support for your needs and help you make a formal complaint of abuse.
If you have been sexually abused as a minor by a member of the clergy or anyone representing the Catholic Church, or if you know someone who was, you can report that abuse through the diocesan Abuse Hotline: 1-888-296-2965 or via email at abuseline@dioceseoftrenton.org.
The Diocese encourages anyone with an allegation to also report that abuse to their local law enforcement agency. The Diocese reports all allegations received to the appropriate county prosecutor’s office.
ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS
please click on the corresponding hyperlinks below
