Commentary

Little flowers: setting aside moments for the Lord

By Bryce Sadarananda | Special to the Herald

“Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing.” —Saint Thérese de Lisieux

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We are familiar with the story of Martha and Mary. When Jesus visits the two sisters, Martha seeks to please him with an immaculate house and a delicious meal. Mary, on the other hand, sits at Jesus’ feet, enchanted by his words, while her sister toils in the kitchen. Martha feels it is unfair that she is doing all the chores alone and asks Jesus to scold Mary for her idleness. “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answers, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

How often have we felt like Martha, the workaholic, sweating the hours away? Martha, immersed in her work, does not spend time with Jesus. Mary, instead, kneels at his side, listening with her heart. In the serenity of Jesus’ presence, Mary forgets the frantic clamor of life, and centers herself on him. While Martha seeks to feed Jesus a mouthwatering meal, Mary realizes that Jesus himself is the “main course.”

In Jesus’ chiding of Martha and defense of Mary, he is not encouraging us to be lazy or irresponsible. He is simply reminding us to take a moment out of our hectic lives to spend with him. Though we have much to do, we should always set aside moments for the Lord.

As a teenager, I often find myself drowning in my day-to-day bustle. I am sure many other youth feel this way as well. From school, to sports practices, to music or dance lessons, to community service and a myriad of extracurricular activities on top of a mountain of homework, it is easy to forget one’s relationship with Jesus. In addition, the stereotypical teen is completely immersed in himself or herself. Our priority is our social life. How we manage to fit in friends, shopping, movies and gossip, with all the exhausting activities above is an enigma! It is obvious that a juvenile’s life, scattered by countless commitments, can be distracted from what is truly essential: Jesus. Here’s a glimpse into a typical day in the life of an adolescent who, in spite of a torrent of responsibilities, discovers a way to make Jesus number one…

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I peel my eyes open, stretch, and inhale the musty morning air. As the grogginess clears, my dazed glance finds the illuminated display, “5:30 a.m.” Jumping out of bed, I rouse with Aric Bostick’s exuberant wake-up exercise. While I energize, I remind myself that it is through God’s graciousness that I am smiling this morning. Preparations for my busy day begin with positive encouragement from within. For breakfast, I guzzle a chocolate protein shake. That is all there is time for!

Since the school day starts at 7:45, I have time to finish last night’s readings and annotations. As I strive to achieve grades superior enough to be accepted into a prominent college, I find time to whisper a thank you to God for the skills and abilities he has blessed me with. The day progresses with student council notices, campus ministry schedules, drama club announcements, speech team performances, and penny pot collections. I find myself scurrying back and forth.

The 2:45 bell signals the end of classes. I survived the first half of my day. On the city bus to musical theater rehearsal, I relish the brief chance to breathe, and again I appreciate God for his precious gift of life and the chance to live for him, worshiping and praising him through everything I do. After hours of acting, dancing and singing at the theater, I whisk myself to karate class where I teach beginning students.

That night, climbing into bed weary and burnt out, I realize that in all my busyness and exertion, I am living for the glory of God. By using to the fullest extent the talents God has granted me, I am giving back to him, in thanksgiving, what is rightfully his. Regardless of how frenzied my life is, packed with activities, I will always share my time, energy and interest with God. In that, my life is content.

If we find ourselves out of touch with God because of our stressful lives, how will we manifest our love of him? If we cannot make time for God because of our demanding jobs, how do we show our commitment to him? Through simple acts of kindness and tenderness, shown in everyday actions, we recognize God’s miracles constantly carried out through us. In every righteous action we choose, and in each virtuous word we utter, we are singing to the Lord. In small acts of generosity, we are exalting God’s act of salvation. For by his grace, the good deeds we do blossom into little flowers. Then, when we have a garden of these flowers, we will indeed be eternally in devotion to God.

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“Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love.” —Saint Thérese de Lisieux