Mary & Martha

[Oneofthewomen]

Luke 10:38-42
As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me. The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

My inner Mary and Martha “duke it out” :slapfight: on a daily basis.
My job is one of a “professional caretaker”.
Between 2 positions, one in health care, and one within the Church,
I manage 2 kitchens where I plan, shop for, prepare 3 meals, plus snacks & food for special events, for a total 45 people, 7 days a week, and that does not include my own family of a husband and 4 cats, 3 of which are 15-weeks old, and have been hand-raised by husband & I since being abandoned by their mother in our garage when they were 2 weeks old.
I am also a graduate student in theology, and while I am not currently taking any classes, I do try to keep up with my studies.
I have a rich prayer life, although it seems of late, my time is rare. I have a spiritual director, and in our last session, he asked me to meditate on this passage for the next month.
It has been an interesting month, as flu season always brings extra fun to a health care setting, and the holidays throw a wrench into the normal routine, so my life has been really crazy, and my prayer life, while usually my solace, has become almost a curse.

While I understand completely what the Lord is saying to Martha and the importance of silence and making time for God, I so empathize with her because there is always so much to do!
And I am always being asked to do more with less. :juggle:

So my forum friends…
How do you balance your “doing” & your “being”?

What practical things do you do, or wish you did, to get your focus off of getting things done, and spending time at the feet of the Lord?

Any ideas on how to let my inner Mary shine through as Martha does her job?

Thanks & peace be with you!

 

[simple_soul]

*What I have found that helps me is any time I start feeling like Martha I just say Jesus I trust in You in the silence of my heart. It does not matter how busy or anxious I am, if I just remind myself that He is here with me and that I am still at His feet with all my things to do and my worries, just remembering that I am mentally sitting at His feet trusting in Him, melts the anxieties or worries away. *

 

[Yearning_Heart]

I split my day up so that my time of prayer is not in one big chunk, but lots of little bits during the day. I start with a daily offering when I wake up, get ready etc, then morning prayer before I leave. Whenever I travel or walk anywhere-that’s my time for rosary-I’ve had some amazing inspirations while ‘driving’ a shopping trolley Then some time before bed for evening prayer etc.

As I’ve offered my whole day at the start, even when I’m distracted or busy and not consciously thinking of God, it’s all His

That said, you sound very busy but also one of those people that thrive on being busy as well. For myself, I find it good to get some time away specifically to spend time with God-on retreat, part of a sunday, some little time just for you and Him, though your obligations may not allow for that-so whatever you manage to do and still be faithful, I am sure He is pleased with your efforts.

 

[maggiemoo]

Please do NOT take what I am saying in any way to mean that sitting at the feet of Jesus in prayer is not important. Daily prayer is very important. That said, remember Mary and Martha are both Saints. (With big S’s). I think it is important to remember that we all have the ability to obtain holiness in our state of life.