Although it’s true that God may ask different things from each person… typically all He asks of us is to live fully each moment with Him.
In today’s Gospel we read about Martha and Mary, two sisters seemingly carrying out two different ways of serving the Lord. But then we hear that Martha isn’t altogether satisfied. The Bible tells us that she was ‘distracted with much serving’.
“But Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.””- Luke 10:40
She wasn’t asking for solutions because she wasn’t owning up to her own faults… she didn’t think there were any. She saw work to be done and was off completing it on her own devices. So no opening for grace to seep in.
And Jesus’ response goes right to the heart of it.
“But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful.* Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.””- Luke 10:41-42
Only one thing is needed… to listen to the Lord, and do the duty of the moment. It’s not to say that we are to lay back with our rosaries in hand all day long, all the while everyone else serves us hand and foot…that would be nice…lol… but no. There’s a time for everything … and when the Lord is speaking… that’s a time for listening… no worries, there will definitely come a time for doing.
But Martha did what most of us do when we pray, we go to Jesus with requests filled with our own solutions. We give Jesus a honey-do list and then get frustrated, or are tempted to lose faith When it’s not completed to our specification.
But He doesn’t want to provide a quick fix … He’s not a people pleaser… He’s a healer. He instead asks us to look at all the things getting in the way of us living fully in the present moment with Him, and offer them up. Just give it over to Him, He’ll provide the solution Himself and it’s often different than what we were thinking. Our Blessed Mother can help us do this.
“Offer me also your sufferings:
your interior sufferings, which are so humiliating to you, because they come from the experience of your limitations, your defects and your numerous attachments. The smaller and the more hidden the sufferings which you offer me, the greater is the joy which my Immaculate Heart experiences.” Blue Book #148 q,r
Once this interior process has taken place, then we can hear His voice more clearly. Less of us… of our worries, anxieties, sins, defects… more of Him.