“I always begin my prayer in silence, for it is in the silence of the heart that God speaks. God is the friend of silence – we need to listen to God because it’s not what we say but he says to us and through us that matters.”

“You can pray while you work. Work doesn’t stop prayer and prayer doesn’t stop work. It requires only that small raising of the mind to him: I love you God, I trust you, I believe in you, I need you now. Small things like that. They are wonderful prayers.” – Mother Teresa (1910 – 1997: Catholic nun who served the poor around the world)

Gospel Text: (LK 10:38-42)

Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her."

We all have to be busy like Martha: we need work for our livelihood, food must be prepared, the house must be maintained, children must be taken care of. Doing all this indeed is doing God's work in our daily lives: do we find God somehow in these ordinary and extraordinary chores?

Mary teaches us another lesson: to be quiet and be with the Lord. This too is as important, if not more, than what we need to do to live. Do we have time for the Lord in prayer? Do we somehow remember the Lord in our busy workdays? And in our relaxing weekends?

We are given two directives in today’s scripture: Listen, and Act.

The important thing is to live our lives in God's presence, for the greater glory of God.