16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

There are people who are praying for you - people you don't know.

You'll probably never know their names and never get the chance to meet them. But they're praying for you. They're praying for all of us.

I'm talking about all the men and women religious - monks, nuns, friars, brothers, sisters - who spend their lives in prayer for the world. They're hidden away, giving everything they have to an encounter with God.

In the eyes of the world, this is a waste of time. It could even seem like a waste to us sometimes. I mean, these people aren't out helping anyone. They're not teaching in schools or running hospitals or feeding the poor.

They're just praying, right?

If that's what we think, then we're thinking with the mind of the world, not the mind of Christ. There is no such thing as just praying because prayer is a personal encounter with the God of the universe - the source of our being and the only fulfillment of our desires.

If we think a life spent in prayer is a waste of time, then we are missing out on a fundamental truth of our faith: it is good, in itself, to spend time with God.

In the story from today's Gospel, Martha isn't doing anything wrong. She's welcomed a guest into her home and she's doing her best to provide for Jesus and make him comfortable - much like Abraham from today's first reading. Their response to an encounter with God is to do things, to be busy.

Mary, Martha's sister, responds in another way: with silence.

Rather than focusing on what she can do to provide for Jesus, or making herself anxious by worrying, she sits and listens - a disciple at the feet of the master.

When Martha gets annoyed and complains, Jesus isn't hard on her. He gently explains that, though she was working and worrying with good intentions, the better thing to do is to simply be with Jesus.

These two women and their different responses have been used in the tradition of the Church to explain the active life and the contemplative life - and how there is room for both in the Church. We need men and women who are out there devoting their lives to serving the poor; and we also need men and women who have devoted their lives to prayer and contemplation.

However, Jesus says that Mary, in her silence, has chosen "the better part."

We do need activity and work - without it, the Church would not be loving like we're called to do - but, even in the midst of our work, we need contemplation, we need prayer - we need to spend time with the Lord.

All of this doesn't just apply to monks and nuns - it goes for all of us: priests, doctors, secretaries, carpenters, librarians, teachers, coal miners, farmers ...

Every one of us has to have room in our lives for prayer - room for God. If we do not make that space, we will be trying to live on our own power, our own steam - and it will not last.

We can't give love unless we're receiving the Love that never fails.
We can't help people unless we're trusting in the only One who can help us.
We can't serve unless we're spending time and getting to know the One who came and served us.

We must pray - it's not an option. 

And simply fulfilling the obligation of being at Mass once a week is not enough. Yes, the Mass is the source and summit of our faith, the highest point of our loving relationship with God, but if we're not seeking him outside of these walls, then how can he work in us? We must open our hearts to him on a daily basis so that when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, he can transform our hearts with his love.

It may sound a little intimidating, but prayer is not hard. The most important part is to just do it! Find what works for you. Maybe it's prayerfully reading the bible, maybe it's the rosary, maybe it's simply sitting quietly and being aware of the love of God.

Whatever works for you - do it! When distractions come - and they will come; we are human - just pass those along to Jesus as something that needs to be prayed for. If you're struggling start small and see where it goes. If you have questions, talk to a priest. We're happy to help.

We have to pray. To be the disciples Jesus is calling us to be, we must spend time with him.

Jesus praised Mary, not because she wasn't working, but because she recognized what was most important: Jesus himself.

There is no better way to spend our time than to be with the one who made us, who died for us, and who loves us. He will give us the strength we need to do the work that needs to be done.