By Fr. Roy Cimagala *
THERE’S a great need to update the story of Martha and Mary
(cfr. Lk 10,38-42) if only to relish once again the important lesson
it imparts to us, especially nowadays when we can do a lot of good
things and pursue high worldly ideals, and yet miss what is truly and
ultimately important and necessary for us.
Yes, like Martha, we can be doing a lot of good things and
pursuing high temporal ideals, like efficiency, effectiveness,
profitability, etc., and yet miss the one thing necessary that Christ
told Martha.
The precious lesson the story of the two sisters offers us
is that of seeing to it that everything that we do is always for the
glory of God. That motive should the first, last and constant
intention of all our thoughts, words and deeds. It should be not
dislodged by any other motive, no matter how legitimate in human terms
it is, and how urgent it is.
Our thoughts, words and deeds would lose their real value
when they are not inspired by our love for God which should drive us
to do everything for God’s glory. Let’s remember what St. Paul said in
this regard: “Whether you eat or drink, or if you do anything, you
shall do everything for the glory of God.” (1 Cor 10,31)
The story of the two sisters reminds us that we have to give
priority to prayer in the sense that everything that we do, no matter
how mundane it is as long as it is honest, should be converted into
some form of prayer, that is, into a way of engaging with God, giving
him all the glory that is due him.
The immediate basis for this truth is what Christ himself
said: “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and
forfeits his soul?” (Mt 16,26) That’s because prayer is like the
breathing and the heartbeat of our spiritual organism, of our soul.
Just as we continue to breathe and just as our heart continues to beat
even while we are unconscious in our sleep, so should our prayer be.
To be sure, this is possible and doable, because praying
does not even need a bodily organ for it to be done. It is a spiritual
operation that can transcend the use of our bodily faculties. It’s a
matter of attitude, of belief, which we can always have even if it is
not expressly articulated.
As such, it can be done in any situation—while we are
working, playing, resting, etc. But it would be good that we spend
some time doing nothing other than praying, directly engaging God in a
loving conversation, because that would help us to be prayerful in all
our other activities and situations in life.
We cannot deny that the world nowadays is getting deeply
immersed in worldly and temporal affairs, but often at the expense of
forgetting God. This is a terrible deal that we are having. All our
affairs and concerns should lead us to God or at least engage us with
him, not separate us from him.
Let us always remember that it is God who will give us
everything, but we have to have the proper priorities. Let’s never
forget what he said: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his
righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” (Mt 6,33)
* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City.
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
