-- A
nibble
of Catholic Spirituality --
Click here to view past Spiritual Food...
Want to recieve Spiritual Food occasionally via email? Click HERE and type "Spiritual Food" in the subject line.
DUTY OF THE MOMENT
"The duty of the moment." These words first grabbed me several years ago, when I journeyed into the northern winterland of Ontario. I heard them in Combermere at a place called Madonna House, an apostolate begun decades before by the Russian immigrant, Catherine de Hueck Doherty.
But shortly after last Christmas, those words
reached deep into my soul once
more. Their meaning -- their demand for response -- awoke within
me. And timely. Christmas, though the feast of Christ's birth,
often ends up the feast of our flesh! We spend the next two months
trying to break all the bad habits we've stoked in a mere two
weeks of holidays!
The duty of the moment. It is simply that duty which the present moment requires. It is the dishes, or shoveling the walk, or filing a stack of papers. It is that mundane, ordinary thing which greets us most every minute of our day. But we must recognize that it is also the will of God. For the state in life in which we are, and the demands of that state, are God's will for us. With this in mind, the will of God becomes then, the path to union with him. For Jesus said, whoever does my will, remains in me, and I in him.
For some of us, that may seem quite unromantic; not quite the mystical solution we were hoping for. Who wants to hear that the path to true happiness lies in changing the baby's diaper or filing another report?
But the duty of the moment requires more than just our completion of the task. To transform that moment, to turn it into a moment of grace for ourselves and our neighbour, we must do that task with love. How do I wash the dishes with love? I do them well, exceedingly well. I pay attention to what I do, finishing the task as it should be. I wipe the sink off when I'm done. I remember to sweep the floor, scooping up that one crumb which is just a bit hard to reach. And I say, "Lord, for love of you, I do this." For Paul reminds us that without love, we are nothing; our actions become empty. But our actions become love when we forget ourselves, and put our hearts into what we are doing.
Such a simple thing, yet, how often do we
miss it? We seek God in books, conferences, cenacles, pilgrimages,
devotions, and bible studies. And yet,
how often do we miss the Lord right before our noses, present
to us in the
duty of the moment? Perhaps this concept is too simple for our
complicated
world. Yet, didn't Jesus say that unless you become like a child,
you will
not enter the Kingdom?
I remember one day at Combermere, I was assigned
to sort beans; the good
from the bad. One is not given a more boring task than this.
Yet, aware that
this was my duty, and therefore God's will for me, I set about
my job with
diligence. Then a thought came to me. Offer up every good bean
for a soul.
Soon, my pile of good beans was growing, and I was filled with
a sense of
joy. Somehow, I knew these beans, which had now become prayers,
were being
heard by my Father. Knowing the power of my little prayers, I
began making
exceptions. "Hmm, this bean doesn't appear so bad...."
I'm sure, some day
when I get to heaven, I will meet those who thank me for having
offered a
bean for their soul, and those who give me heck for a bad bean
soup they
ate!
The duty of the moment is an opportunity, if not the opportunity, to love our neighbour. Often, the duty of the moment is a task which directly serves others. Sure, it is not as glamorous to serve our family as it is to become a missionary in Africa. But by doing the duty of the moment, we often feed Christ in the hungry and naked in our own home -- when we make supper or do the laundry. And often, doing this with love is far more heroic than flying off to some far away mission field.
Also, when we offer that boring, repetitive duty of the moment as a prayer for another, God hears it clearly. Jesus said, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.... If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love" (John 15:7, 10). It may be powerful to fast and pray for others. But perhaps it is more powerful to do the dishes for them without complaining or counting the cost. So you see, the duty of the moment begins to unite us with the body of Christ.
You will be amazed at how God can transform you once you set about doing the duty of the moment with love. Jesus said, "Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit." That is, the fruit of the Holy Spirit; love, joy, peace.... You will also begin to see that each moment is an opportunity to incarnate the Gospel, and thus, you will become a shining beacon to those around you. They will see that what you do, though seemingly insignificant, is embued with light, and seasoned with salt. In Combermere, no one preached a word of the Gospel to me. And yet, through their dedication to the present moment, I experienced the Gospel -- Jesus -- as never before, or perhaps since.
Holiness is within your grasp and mine, with the help of the Holy Spirit inspiring and empowering us. You see, sanctity, and the path to union with God, is lived each and every ordinary moment, one day at a time. If we can acquire the spiritual eyes to see this, we will begin to recognize that each moment, the duty of the moment, is a gift of God to us.
Now, go take out the garbage.
--Mark Mallett
Copyright 2002
Click here to view past Spiritual Food...