At the Feet of the Master

In the weeks after Christmas, it hits me — my true occupation in life. I am an Inanimate Object Manager.

Working alone, I diligently fetch, shelve, sort and file. Some projects are seasonal – toys from the stores, to the bedrooms, to Goodwill. But it’s usually a daily round of picking up and dropping off more items than any one family needs. Grocery shopping? Please!

OK, I volunteered for this position, but does it have to be so solitary?

To balance out my materialistic, overcrowded, one-woman life, I occasionally head to a monastery for quiet mornings of prayer. Inhaling peace. Absorbing simplicity. I am content and ready to head back into the fray.

Although, I wish I could bring this holy commune home as well. I am Martha. And I am Mary.

And I am every woman who has read today’s scripture and has asked herself this question. How on earth do I do it? Just sit here. At the feet of the Master. When all these people have to be fed?

Jesus tells her what to do. “Martha, Martha, you worry and fret over so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.”

He just doesn’t say how to do it. My sojourns to the Benedictines have taught me this — we probably can’t. We either feed. Or we are fed. Very few of us can do both at the same time. The secret lies in community. And taking turns. And always making sure that our truest alliance is with God. We can try to live simply and pray constantly yes … and always to make sure you allow into your life a community of people who support you in your quest. Yes. Yes. Yes.

But for me, in this season of Lent, on the last day of winter, I’ll settle for divesting myself of as many extras as I am capable of. I’ll try to continue streamlining our possessions and activities. More importantly, I’ll try to let go of my feelings of resentment when I look up at the extra work I have made for myself.

It IS the better part. I trust it will do.

— Marey Oakes