Do something every day that scares you. I remember hearing this piece of wisdom once. It sounds like good advice, but quite honestly, it kind of scares me even to think about doing something that scares me every day.

Warning! From our gospel: don’t store up treasures for yourselves. You may lose it all. Instead, be rich toward God. If only. If only, it were that simple.

The doctor had come into the family waiting room to tell her the results of the recent CAT scan; and the first words out of his mouth were, “It’s not good news.” I was sitting with the wife of a patient who was just brought into the Emergency Department by the paramedics, providing comfort and care as the chaplains often do for the families of trauma patients. After the doctor told us the results of the tests, he said, “Now is a good time to pray,” as he gave a nod in my direction. 

The story of Mary and Martha is one of those Gospel readings that hits close to home! Whether you relate to Mary - having the work you are passionate about de-valued, or to Martha - feeling alone and overwhelmed in the hard work you’re doing, this reading shows us a snapshot of one of the most common human experiences.