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Great Thinkers in the History of the Church (no. 20)
Wherefore, as the chosen, whiles they take heed to the world or the flesh, alway have their mind busily to God; so the rejected, whiles they seem to do God service are busy with the world, and to those things that pertain to the world and the flesh they are greatly ravished in busyness of heart. And as the chosen displease God nought when they relieve their need, so the rejected please not God in the good deeds they are seen to do; for their full few good deeds are mingled with many ill deeds.
*Richard Rolle, c. 1290- c. 1349, Fire of Love, Trans. Richard Misyn, 1914, 2nd. Ed. 1920
Scripture: Luke 10.38-42 (ESV)
38Now as they went on their way, Jesus[d] entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." 41But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."
Comments
A farmer got so old that he could not work the fields. So he would spend the day sitting on the porch. His son, working the farm, would look up from time to time and see his father there. "He's of no use any more," the son mused, "he doesn't do anything!" One day the son got so frustrated by this, that he built a wood coffin, dragged it over to the porch, and told his father to get in it. Without saying anything, the father got inside. After closing the lid, the son dragged the coffin to the edge of the farm where there was a cliff. As he approached the drop, he heard a light tapping on the lid. He opened it. Lying peacefully, the father looked up at his son. "I know you are going to throw me over the cliff. Before you do, may I recommend something?" "What is it?" asked his son. "Throw me over the cliff, if you like, but save this wood coffin. Your children might need to use it."
This Zen story presents us with the question of worth and usefulness. What does it mean to be useful? To the son, his dad had become useless and, thus, disposable? The son defined "useful" by "able to work." The son saw the father as impractical, thus, a hindrance.
The life of True Prayer challenges ideas of useful and useless even in churches and the spiritual journey. Our culture has long shaped Christians and clergy leaders to ignore the apparently esteemed-as-useless practice, for example, of extended periods of prayer, solitude, and silence. Such is, the Christians of this country say by behavior, somewhat useless and impractical. Congregations meet for workdays, revivals, sings, fellowship meals, business meetings, but how many meet to pray together? Why not? Apparently, again based on behavior, to most Christians filling our oft already over-stretched stomachs with perishable food and drink is more useful and practical than fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit together in periods devoted only to shared prayerfulness.
This applies, also, to contemplative prayer. Contemplative prayer can feel useless in a culture that stresses saying and doing. After all, there is always something to do. Silence, in our culture, seems highly impractical. I question whether a man or woman has much to say until he or she has learned not to speak. I question whether a person can do much truly for the glory of God until she practices withdrawing from doing to enjoy communion and union with Triune Mystery. And I doubt much renewal will occur in churches until we place a much higher priority on praying together than filling our stomachs together.
We, as Christians and churches, must look seriously at the agreement or lack thereof between what we say is priority and what we place as priority. We need to examine and evaluate clearly what we truly believe is most practical and useful.
Reflections
1. List what you consider priorities for your life? Examine as to whether the time and energy devoted to them is true to your estimation of their priority?
2. List what you see are the priorities of your church, based on behaviors of its members? Where does prayer together fit in those priorities? Discerning the will of God together?
3. Do you believe, generally speaking, that the clergy leadership of our churches is leading rightly in the priorities of spiritual formation through prayer and other classic spiritual disciplines? Explain your answer.
4. If you are a layperson, get an appointment with your pastor or priest. Inquire about what she sees as the priorities in her life. The priorities she has for the church she serves as priest or pastor.
5. Read and prayerfully reflect on the Scripture story, from the Gospel of Luke, about Mary and Martha.
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