Choose the Better Part

Today we celebrate the memorial of St. Scholastica, the twin sister of St. Benedict. She and Benedict came from a privileged background, but gave up a life of comfort to enter religious life. Scholastica and Benedict both became contemplatives and established religious communities near each other in the mountains of Italy. One day of each year, they’d meet at a farmhouse near Benedict’s monastery and spend the day in spiritual discussion and prayer. They loved each other, but through discernment, they chose the better part, a contemplative life focused on prayer and seeking the will of God. Scholastica, like her brother Benedict, gave herself wholly to God, holding nothing back.

Some might argue that’s not a bad model for our discernment. As deacons, and especially as deacon candidates, you’re called to enrich and deepen our love and devotion to God – it’s what your formation and discernment are all about. But here’s the thing – we’re NOT contemplatives. As a deacon candidate, you’re NOT being called to the contemplative life. Quite the opposite. The unique strength of the diaconate is that you have a foot in both worlds. Your contemplative life is critical to your ministry. But so is your life in the world.

And that’s a hard balancing act. The challenge is laid out pretty well by Mary and Martha in today’s Gospel. Christ, the honored guest, comes to visit. Martha finds herself buried, overwhelmed by what needs to be done to serve the Lord in their midst. Mary, meanwhile, is fully focused on the magic of Christ’s presence in their midst. When Martha complains, she’s gently rebuked by Jesus: “Mary has chosen the better part.” That may sound a bit unfair at first – it did to me. But the point is this. Martha, consumed by everything on her “to do” list, is missing the unique personal communion Christ is offering right in front of her. And that’s the cautionary tale for us.

Your call to vocation as deacon or as deacon wife is demanding. And after ordination, God willing, it won’t get any easier. Diaconate ministry can become all-consuming if we let it. We’re “doers”. It’s how we’re wired. Between worldly responsibilities and your ministry, there’s so much to do – so much need before you. Your “to do” list will seem to grow and grow. It’s too easy to become overwhelmed, just like Martha – to be lost in what needs to be done.

And there’s the trap. Don’t let your ministry or your formation become reduced to an open-ended “to do” list, an overwhelming checklist you can’t overcome. Take time to step back and recognize the wonder, the beauty, the REASON for your call – the reason you’re here. Make the time for the communion with Christ you’ve been offered, and – like Mary – choose the better part, each and every day.