Everything in life is an opportunity – an opportunity to encounter God. Perhaps it’s through the wonders of nature, or maybe the revelations of science where one realizes that there is something greater – something greater that makes this all possible.
Or maybe it’s through our accomplishments – the things we build, the technologies we create, the medical breakthroughs. All of these are only possible through the gifts, knowledge, and abilities we are given by our Creator.
And then there’s the people that come into our lives. Every person – good or bad – is an encounter with God. I read a quote today that said, “when God really wants to love us, He sends a person into our lives. God wishes to encounter us through other people.” He does this all the time, through ordinary people. He even physically came to us through a person in His Son Jesus.
And it’s also in these encounters where God is testing us. He’s seeing how we’ll respond to a given situation. When I think of this, another quote comes to mind – “every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition…”
I feel everything is a test – a test in how we will respond. And so rather than focus on obstacles, I’d like to change that old proverb to say, Moment. Every moment is an opportunity to improve our condition.
Our condition with what?
Well, the condition of our lives, and the world around us, and ultimately, our condition with God.
Every moment is an opportunity to improve our condition with God. Every moment presents a choice for us. As I mentioned last week, a choice to do the right thing. Every moment is an opportunity to right the ship, get back on course, and focus on that one constant in life – Jesus.
And every moment can change our life.
How we choose to encounter God in the moment is the basis of the Gospel today. Martha’s upset that Mary is not helping her serve the guests in their home, most notably Jesus. She’s reacting to the moment, and sees all the things that need to be done, and loses sight of the big picture. Mary, on the other hand, also reacting to the moment, recognizes Who is in their midst, and her sole focus and priority is fixed on Jesus. Everything else is secondary.
This was a test for the two women. Martha didn’t necessarily fail. She was surely a good person. She was being hospitable, making sure everyone was comfortable and had everything they needed. But she was so anxious with the situation and all that had to be done, she was not listening to God.
How many times have we lived life like this? Think about how you may be when you host an event, say Christmas Eve dinner. You’re focused on preparing the meal, all the gifts, where people are going to sleep, and oh look, the toilet is clogged again… and so on.
We often get so distracted by all the commotion and the extras, that we lose sight of the trueness, the meaning of it all. So often we are like Martha in life – trying to do the right thing, and be nice and hospitable, but then we forget the reason why. Our life has no nucleus, no central calming force that keeps us in line and grounded. Instead, our life is chaotic and we’re just grasping to keep up.
Mary surely was a good woman as well, a good servant, but she exemplifies the focus we need to have. We need to have Christ as our center, consistently, with which everything else is secondary. When this happens, life slows down and things calm.
We all need to be like Mary today, more than ever.
She recognized God in the moment. And she used this moment as an opportunity, an opportunity to improve her condition. Her condition with God.
Abraham did this too. He recognized God in the moment, and he dropped everything and served the men, Gods Messengers, with the best that he had to offer. He did it without thinking, because he recognized God in that very moment. Because of this love and hospitality, Abraham and Sarah were rewarded. A complete surprise.
Every moment presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
We need more of this in the world today. It can often seem like every moment breeds more chaos and destruction. But yet there’s so much more good that’s not covered by the news. And God is there – in every moment. Do you recognize Him?
Do you see Him in the people you encounter, in the situations you’re presented with? Do you seek His will in the choices you make? Do you thank Him in all that you do in life, for the means and abilities that He has blessed you wtih?
Do you contemplate on the amazing glory of His Real Presence in Mass?
Do you look to every moment with a faith in Christ, a faith that this very moment, this very person you’ve encountered, that this very situation, is a gift from God?
Every moment is an opportunity to improve our condition. It may be you, or it may be the condition of those around you. But in every moment, God is there right in the middle of it. Sometimes He’s behind the curtain pulling the strings, other times He’s front and center.
We must stay centered, seek to find Him in every moment, and use that to build momentum in our own lives.
GN 18:1-10A; PS 15; COL 1:24-28; LK 10:38-42
