Stillness of New Life

Before yesterday, my last post was on April 8th and it was about change being a blessing. Then I was talking about the upcoming arrival of my 1st grandchild and merging our two houses together for a while. So let me share that my granddaughter was born on April 10th, and she makes my heart sing. Things have been pretty busy since then, getting everyone and everything settled but let me tell you about those first few days. I have a tendency to keep pretty busy in ordinary times; Easter time is usually a little bit more so. It's my favorite time of year because Lent draws to a close and you take stock of that experience, and then you find yourself at Palm Sunday, and then it's Holy Week. I always took Holy Week off when I worked in a regular office- it's that important and I want all of my focus on God.

This year all of that kind of faded away. God didn't fade He was present in everything but the business of the season faded. I stayed a full week with my daughter and son-in-law while they adapted to being a family. It was a beautiful time. We spent hours upon hours holding and staring at my granddaughter, literally. We are all pretty busy people by nature but a brand new infant can bring all of that to a halt in a quick minute. I never felt anxious about the things I was not doing because what I was doing was far better. It reminded me though of the story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42), which I had always felt was a bit unfair to Martha. It seems as though Jesus is saying her choice to serve was wrong, but if Martha did not choose to serve no one would have eaten! If we go back to the contemplative prayer I spoke of in yesterday's blog, and imagine ourselves IN the story, then it all takes on a new perspective. I never thought of myself as a Martha, but I totally am! It is my responsibility to feed and care for people.

Holy week at our house usually has me hosting a Christian Seder meal for 12-25 people (I cook all day and usually the day before as well), and attending 3-5 services at church on Friday. For many years I prepared breakfast and lunch for candidates and catechumens on Holy Saturday, and then attended the Easter Vigil and helped to host the reception afterwards at 11 o'clock at night. On Easter Sunday there were festivities at home with the kids then Mass then off to my parents' house for lunch and another Easter egg hunt. By the end I am exhausted but also renewed. Because it is my gift to serve. This whole paragraph screams Martha, doesn't it?

So this year I did not host anything. I attended services with my daughter and son-in-law but it was quiet- just us, and most of our time was spent marveling at my granddaughter and resting in each other's company. Totally a Mary!

The thing is, neither is right or wrong if you understand the circumstance. Most of the time I find such joy in serving people that I know I am doing the better part for THAT TIME. I get my Mary time every morning when I rise before everyone and sit quietly in prayer and study my Bible. I now know I am a more stressed Martha if I haven't made room for Mary. The trick is setting aside time to be both.