Tension and attention

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today put some of the tensions in our lives before us. Friar Jude Winkler refers to the episode from the Book of Jonah as the “sign of Jonah” proclaimed by Jesus (Matthew 12:38-41). The striking response of the people of Nineveh to the preaching of Jonah points to a tendency we may share with the Pharisees that we have become complacent about the invitation to live in the Kingdom of God. When our ability to be on top of our game slips, we can get back in shape through practice. The phrase that we should practice our faith is not an appeal for increased religiosity and attending more services. It is the call to be open to see, hear, taste and smell the action of God in our lives through our interactions with people daily. In these interactions, we can find the opportunity to be in prayerful thankful contact with God as His Love is revealed as we journey through our Nineveh. The tension between living a necessary hospitality and busy schedule with people in our work, family and life and the call to know people as individual sons and daughters of God is brought to the forefront by Jesus reminder to Martha, in the Gospel of Luke today, that her lack of attention to the detail of the individual guests may mean that her intended hospitality is less that it could be. What are we to do? Which is our best choice? As with many tensions in life, it is not either/or but both.