The Only Necessary Thing

If others flock to fashion bazaars to shop for shoes and clothes, I go to book fairs to scout for good, affordable books. :) One of my recent purchases is a Henri Nouwen book, "The Only Necessary Thing: Living A Prayerful Life." It's actually a compilation of spiritual insights and prayers of Henri Nouwen taken from many of his works (both published and unpublished).

Yesterday, I began to read it. The original plan was to begin reading it on New Year, but since I already started a lot on that day, the book was put off. On Chinese New Year, I attempted to put it on my reading list, but Fr. Michael Gaitley won over, and so, I began (again) my 33 Days to Morning Glory instead. I believe there is truly an appointed time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3), and yesterday was the perfect day to finally read the said book.

There are only 15 chapters in the book, and a total of 176 sections. I plan to read it one section a day so I can have time to really reflect and ponder. But we'll see how the Spirit would lead, I will simply follow. :)

I'll try my best to regularly share snippets from the book, and today let me start with a quote from Prayer and Peacemaking.

"Prayer is the center of the Christian life. It is the only necessary thing (Luke 10:42). It is living with God here and now."

Luke 10:42 is the last verse about Martha and Mary (Read the whole text: Luke 10:38-42). It's the verse that says "only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her."

My Bible (Christian Community Bible Catholic Pastoral Edition) has a beautiful commentary on that account which can help us further reflect:

Many things seem to be necessary in a family: cleaning, preparing meals, looking after the children. If there is no time to listen to others, what is life worth? Perhaps we do many things in the service of God and our neighbor; only one thing nevertheless is necessary for us all: being available for Jesus when He is present.

Martha is working and worrying and does not have time to be with Jesus. Jesus is peace and the person who does not attend to Him in peace does not receive Him. There is a way of serving and working feverishly which leaves us empty, whether it is at home or in the community; instead Jesus wants us to find Him in our daily work.

Our prayer can also be a way of fidgeting like Martha: when we fret in saying prayers, when we use a lot of words to present our worries to the Lord a hundred times over; when the person responsible for the celebration becomes nervous and overly concerned about the perfection of the singing or the homily.

To pray is to take the time to listen, to meditate in silence on the work of God, it is to slow our desires, so as to pay attention only to God, secretly present, and slip into His will.

How strange that in some non-Christian religions, people learn to bring their minds to peace and silence and reach true serenity. Meanwhile, we enter prayer with our concerns and do not let go of them until the prayer is ended.

Mary sat down at the Lord's feet. It is the traditional attitude of the disciple, at the feet of her Master. Surely, Jesus was not continually teaching, but being Himself the Word of God, He brought God to all that He touched. Mary felt it was good to be there and she was aware that her presence was not to displease Jesus.

Mary has chosen the better part. She followed only her instinct, but Jesus sees more: He will not be there much longer, and in any case His presence among us is always brief. Mary has been able to take hold of these brief moments when Jesus could be hers, and she is His while listening to Him.

I remember a line in a movie I recently watched: Being there for somebody when it's most difficult is really all that relationships are.

We all are in a relationship with God, and to be in a relationship with someone means to be there for them, even when it's most difficult, even when we're busy.

We have just entered the season of Lent, a time when it's most difficult to be with God, a time to embrace the cross, to journey with Jesus in His passion, crucifixion, and death. But hey, that's what all relationships are, right? :)

Today, as we begin a new workweek, may we choose to still be with Jesus, to remain in an intimate relationship with Him, despite all the distractions, all the hindrances, and all the seemingly good opportunities that slowly lead us away from our One True Love.

Photo Credit: GBCMaui.com

Comments

Understanding Lupang Hinirang

Every Filipino knows Lupang Hinirang (though some know it better as " Bayang Magiliw "). How can you not know it when it is the national anthem of the Philippines? But do we really mean the lyrics that we sing? Do we understand it in the first place? Photo Credit: http://diazi.ism-online.org This video has gone viral weeks ago. This afternoon, I shared it to my teammates, and one commented, "Yun pala yun . Ngayon ko lang naintindihan." He immediately downloaded it and converted to MP3. So for those who have not seen it, once again, here is Joey Ayala's version of Lupang Hinirang. And I agree, you would never want to sing it in another way. (But that's just me. :D) This rendition is simply beautiful. Truly Filipino. :) Of course that doesn't mean we need to revise our national anthem but maybe we can consider about correcting the way we sing it (read: proper pronunciation). Read more about the Philippine National Anthem here . ...

Jesus Week 2015: A Time To HEAL ♥

I had the best, most meaningful HOLY WEEK ever, so far (the best is yet to come!). :) Thanks to Joy who shared the Jesus Week poster on Facebook. It was God's personal invitation, and I couldn't thank Him enough for the grace that He also gave me to respond. Everything is grace. It was not just my personal decision to join. It was God's grace that allowed me to. So how did it go? Well, as what I have told my friends, it was amazingly beautiful! The experience was priceless! On Holy Monday, I posted Fr. Jerry Orbos' acronym for HOLY WEEK . I experienced all of that and more! :) I won't be able to share everything as there is just a lot of personal, intimate encounters with the Lord. But if I were to summarize, it was a time for me to HEAL. :) H alt . Indeed, I was able to stop and just rest in the Lord. Before leaving Manila, I have already told myself that this retreat will be all about Jesus ( Jesus Week nga e :D ). No emails, no texts, no calls. I...

Thank You, Lord! :)

It has been a long and stressful day (the past three days have been lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng and stressssssssssssssssssssssssssssssful), but You are just so amazing, Lord that I couldn't sleep without telling You how grateful I am. :) Thank You, Lord for the miracle that You did yesterday. Break even and more. :) Thank You, Lord for the laughter and stories shared during the post-mission meeting with Team Thailand. :) Team Thailand - Princesses from SFC Metro Manila :) Thank You, Lord for Lawrence. He is just the (almost) perfect man. He has his flaws, but they are acceptable; he makes mistakes, but they are all forgivable. There are a lot of men but there can never be anyone else. He's really the one. And You know it very well. :) ♥ Nemo. Love. ♥ Thank You, Lord for giving me strength and endurance each day. :) Thank You, Lord for the short but restful sleeps. :) Thank You, Lord for every waking moment and every opportunity that You give ...

The Holy Spirit*

*Cluster 4 Household Topic Reflections from John 15:26-16:4 True friendship is strengthened in adversity. Jesus offers His disciples the best and truest of friends. Who is this promised friend? Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our Counselor and Advocate (also translated Paraclete or Helper). Counselor is a legal term for the one who will defend someone against an adversary and who guides that person during the ordeal of trial. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Helper who brings us safely through the challenges and adversities we must face in this life. As Jesus approaches the hour that He was to be glorified - through His death on the cross and His resurrection - He revealed more fully to His disciples the person and the role of the Holy Spirit. What does Jesus tell us about the Holy Spirit? First, the Holy Spirit is inseparably one with the Father and the Son. It is the Holy Spirit who gives life - the very life of God - and who kindles faith in hearts r...

Interesting Facts Courtesy of Celebrity Bluff :)

I was writing a different post, but Celebrity Bluff is just so fun and informative, I had to stop from blogging to list down the fun facts that I learn from each round. :) Thought it would be nice to share them here as well. For future reference. :D Q: In 2012, what kind of animal was named after Beyonce? A: Horse Fly Q: What rare job in China will pay you US$50,000 a year? A: Fart Smeller Q: What alcoholic drink literally means "water of life"? A: Whisky Q: In which part of the body can you find the tragus? A: Ear Q: According to Merriam-Webster, what is the female equivalent of dude? A: Dudine Q: What is longer in the male turtles than in the females? A: Nails And the final question is... Q: According to Box Office Mojo what are the top four (4) movies of 2013 according to global profit? A: (1) Iron Man 3, (2) Despicable Me 2, (3) Fast and the Furious 6 (4) The Hunger Games: Cat...

These Little Wonders

Search This Blog