Experiments in Catholicism
By Emily E. Long
Contributing writer
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is visiting the house of two sisters in Bethany. As Jesus was teaching those who had gathered in their home, one sister, Mary, sat rapt at His feet, listening to every word He said. The other, Martha, was fluttering around the house, focusing on the preparations that had to be made. When Martha appeals to Jesus, saying how her sister has left her with all of the work, He says, “Martha Martha … you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed or indeed, only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Now this may be seen as a rebuke, but try thinking about it as an invitation. Jesus certainly knew that it was important to have the house prepared for a feast. He would have understood that in those times, if a woman were to just be sitting around listening to a teacher, it wouldn’t reflect well on her housekeeping abilities.
In this story, he gives Martha permission to sit at his feet and listen. Maybe Martha knew that she was too restless to sit quietly and absorb this rabbi’s teaching. Maybe she didn’t think she could remember all of the good things He was talking about.
Maybe Martha needed a notebook.
Every Sunday, when we go to Mass, we get to spend an hour learning at the feet of Jesus. Then we leave. We get back in our cars and go home and promptly forget whatever the priest talked about. We don’t let the message of the Gospel change us because we don’t remember it. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”
I don’t know about you, but sometimes the only thing I’m dwelling on is the pile of work I have to get back to on Monday, not the Word of God. I focus on the word for my allotted one hour a week, then go back to real life.
So how do we go from learning at the feet of Jesus to actually letting His message fill our spirit? We can take notes.
I got the idea from my Newman club in college. My friend who led the group, Maggie, distributed notebooks to us and encouraged us to bring them to Mass to take notes during the homily. I quickly found that this was a great method for digging into the scripture and what the stories of the Bible were actually about. Instead of just closing my book at the end of Mass and hoping I remembered something from the homily, I had a record of it. This practice inspired me to learn more about sacred scripture and really dig into what Jesus was actually telling us.
For the duration of the Advent season, I brought a notebook to Mass every Sunday. This journal has all of the Sunday readings and space for reflection so I can mark the scripture up to my heart’s content (I decided writing in the hymnal was a bad idea). If a book or article was brought up during the homily, I wrote it down to look up later. Instead of just leaving the scripture at the door when I left church, I could take it home with me and use it as a starting point.
Over time, I’ve used this method to become a lot more biblically literate. I surprise myself when I am teaching faith formation or leading a discussion for Frassati Fellowship, when I can rattle off a story from the Bible or say, “Hey, that situation reminds me of a parable from the gospels.”
In order to live a fully Christian life, it is essential to spend time in the Word of God. When we just leave church and don’t take a message or two home with us, we shrug off the good news of the Gospel. By writing down what speaks to you from the Word, you can start carrying it with you in your daily life, and maybe you’ll be surprised how often you end up dwelling on the Word.
Experiment of the week: Take a notebook with you to Mass next Sunday. Write down what interests you, what inspires you, what makes your ears perk up. Use these notes as a starting point to getting further into the Word of God; you might be surprised where it will take you.
