Clergy Notes — August 3, 2025
St. James' Anglican ChurchI was sitting in Adoration earlier this week, praying, trying to still my mind and hear what God might be saying to me. However, I was finding it difficult to focus; everything seemed to be distracting me: my thoughts, the noises of other people around me, the ache in my back, the air conditioning, the wall fixtures, the reflection from the window…
Then, I heard, “…you are distracted by many things,” and I thought, ‘oh very clever, Lord…’ (God really does have a sense of humour!) But then it occurred to me that we had just that day celebrated the feast of SS Martha and Mary of Bethany. Coincidence? Perhaps.
In any case, I, like Martha, WAS distracted by many things. And, although I did not hear God saying anything else to me in that moment, I got the sense that the whole point of me sitting there was precisely that – to sit there and WAIT.
Sitting at Jesus’ feet, being in his presence, Mary had the better part. And even though I had initially thought my prayer time was unproductive, perhaps I too had the better part, sitting in God’s presence, waiting.
It was a good reminder to me that the drive to be productive is so insidious that it can even infiltrate our prayer life, and that sometimes we just need to sit at Jesus’ feet and be present.
Sometimes, that is the better part.
Mother Amanda