The Good News I Needed to Hear Today

Today's Gospel is Luke 10:38-42... the story of Mary and Martha, aka the basis for the retreat I gave three weeks ago. I smiled this morning when the Deacon began reading those verses which I had gotten to know very well over the past few months. Father referred to our retreat in his homily, and my mind was flooded with memories of the weekend. I was no longer sitting in the chapel listening to the pounding of the rain on the roof. I was at Vision of Peace, soaking up the sunshine, the quiet, the shared prayer and shared experiences. It was amazing... a truly transformative moment in my morning.

And then I left the peace of the chapel.

My week has been off to a rough start. Yesterday was not a good day. I was short-tempered and easily frustrated. My plan was for today to go better. Start off right with mass/prayer and make sure to get my treadmill time. Practice the discipline of patience.

Ohhhh, I have so far to go. Thank God He's not done with me yet.

After screaming at BigBro for wasting time and dragging his feet this morning, I sat down to email my retreatants about the morning's Gospel. Here's what I wrote: Remember "that your attitude is what matters most. Your work is 'diakonia'... ministry."

Yeah, and then I actually hit "send," hypocrite that I am. My attitude is what matters most. Not how quickly we get through our lessons. Not whether or not I get all of the laundry done today. Not even fitting in a grocery trip. It's my attitude that matters... that what I am doing, I am doing in a spirit of service, of love, of charity.

I think, perhaps, this morning's Gospel was there not to remind me of the retreat, but to refocus me. As I said last month, it was Martha's attitude, not her service, that Jesus rebuked. My attitude definitely needs some rebuking this morning, too.

"You are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing."