In today’s Gospel, Martha laments to the Lord and asks Him to justly intervene and ask Mary to help in the work of hospitality. We can guess this is not the first time Martha has complained about Mary’s priorities. Martha likely has had to pick up work that Mary didn’t do on other occasions.
We never have time to do everything on our to-do list. Often, the loudest and most urgent items get our attention which means the top priorities don’t always get our time. How do we set our to-do list so that priorities receive first treatment?
One way is to examine our gifts and talents. God has gifted each of us uniquely and calls us to work through our talents. Say that Martha’s gift was hospitality and Mary’s was contemplation. Then, Martha’s time with the Lord would look different than Mary’s time, each in keeping with their call and gifts.
Sometimes I wonder if I should feel guilty about staying home to write, as opposed to making sandwiches to feed the hungry. After having discerned writing as my call and gift, the answer feels clearer and less guilt-inducing. Sometimes, after I have written, I have time to make sandwiches, to support those who are called to corporal works of mercy.
Prioritizing my call vis-à-vis other demands requires daily prayer, assessment, and rebalancing. And not looking at others to lament that their priorities are not mine. I imagine Martha did some rebalancing and self-assessment after Jesus’s rebuke, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.” And Mary likely got up to help with housework after her time at the Lord’s feet.
How do we respond to a rebuke from the Lord about our priorities? Through prayer and self-examination, let us ask the Lord to help us use our gifts and order our priorities correctly.
En el Evangelio de hoy, Marta se lamenta ante el Señor y le pide que intervenga y le pida a María que ayude en la hospitalidad. Podemos suponer que no es la primera vez que Marta se queja de las prioridades de María. Probablemente Marta ha tenido que encargarse de tareas que María no hizo en otras ocasiones.
Nunca tenemos tiempo para hacer todo lo que tenemos en nuestra lista de tareas. A menudo, las cosas más urgentes y con mayor volumen captan nuestra atención, lo que significa que no siempre dedicamos tiempo a las prioridades principales. ¿Cómo organizamos nuestra lista de tareas para que las prioridades vengan primero?
Una forma de hacerlo es examinar nuestros dones y talentos. Dios nos ha dotado a cada uno de forma única y nos llama a trabajar a través de nuestros talentos. Digamos que el don de Marta fue la hospitalidad y el de María, la contemplación. Entonces, el tiempo de Marta con el Señor sería diferente al de María, cada una según su llamado y sus dones.
A veces me pregunto si debería sentirme culpable por quedarme en casa escribiendo, en lugar de preparar sándwiches para alimentar a los hambrientos. Tras discernir que escribir es mi llamado y mi don, la respuesta se siente más clara y menos culpable. A veces, después de escribir, tengo tiempo para preparar sándwiches o para apoyar a quienes están llamados a realizar obras de misericordia corporales.
Priorizar mi llamado frente a otras exigencias requiere oración diaria, evaluación y reequilibrio. Y no mirar a los demás para lamentarme de que sus prioridades no sean las mías. Me imagino que Marta reequilibró sus pensamientos y se autoevaluó después de la reprimenda de Jesús: “Marta, Marta, muchas cosas te preocupan y te inquietan”. Y María probablemente se levantó para ayudar con las tareas del hogar después de su tiempo a los pies del Señor.
¿Cómo respondemos a una reprimenda del Señor sobre nuestras prioridades? Mediante la oración y el autoexamen, pidámosle al Señor que nos ayude a usar nuestros dones y a ordenar nuestras prioridades correctamente.
Frances Smit is a children’s book author, a Catechist (of the Good Shepherd), educator, and mom. She serves in-the-pews Catholics seeking MORE through stories that hold space for an encounter with God. She desires everyone to experience that with God, there is always MORE. https://fbsmit.
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The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
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