Dear Friends of Carmel Mission,
When I was Pastor at Holy Eucharist Parish in Corralitos, CA, I would oftentimes drive up to Santa Cruz and park my car on Westcliff Drive. I used to walk from one end to the other. I soon noticed that it was a favorite place for surfing.
Usually, if conditions were right and the waves were high enough, a crowd would gather along the shore, near the old Santa Cruz Lighthouse. It was a fascinating experience to observe the surfers on their boards, waiting calmly and patiently for the right wave to come their way. Sometimes the wait was a long one. But surfers know all about the art of waiting and the practice of patience.
Once that right wave arrived, they would paddle fiercely on their surfboard in an attempt to catch it and ride it.
Then they were in another place, riding on the crest of the wave, turning their bodies to go with it’s flow, always seeming to get the balance right. In our Gospel this weekend we have two good women doing something similar, not surfing, but serving the Lord, and seeking to get the balance right. There is a Martha and a Mary in each of us.
Sometimes, perhaps more often than not, we are busy about many things. There is so much more that we feel we need to accomplish. Martha usually wins out!
But we need to take time out occasionally. We need to take time with our God, to listen to what He is saying to us. Mary has chosen the better part. She sits patiently, in the presence of her Lord, and ponders His every word. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could steer the middle path between action and contemplation?
Please, Lord, help us become more like those surfers, who seem to have mastered the art of getting the balance right!
Blessings,
Fr. Paul
Please take a moment to read our Carmel Mission Weekly Bulletin.