Posted by The WORD in other words (2022) by Fr Glenn Paul Gomez SVD – Christ the King Seminary Quezon City
Tuesday 27th Week in Ordinary Time
Which comes first, prayer or service?
Today’s Gospel reminds us that Mary chose the better part. But it doesn’t mean that Martha did a bad thing. In fact, what she did was good!
As Christians/Catholics, we are reminded that work should be the fruit of our prayer. Work, which is not an offshoot of prayer, could be done by a social worker if that person does things only mechanically, where there is no God/Jesus in that activity.
Work, as a product of prayer, is meritorious because it is directed towards the building up of God’s Kingdom here on earth. Hence, this kind of work becomes another prayer! Everything I consciously do something for God becomes a prayer.
So, to be busy doing something for God is good. To spend time with God/Jesus is better. But let us not forget the best: Let’s start with a prayer, then do our work as a product of our prayer, and finally, let our work/service be converted to another prayer!
This is the challenge for all of us: How to creatively combine prayer and work in our daily life. Today’s Gospel gives a wonderful tip on how to choose not only the good and the better but rather to go for the best! St. Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 5: 17, calls this “unceasing prayer.”
Yes, let our lives here on earth be a reflection of prayer, work and unceasing prayer!
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