The other day I was chatting with a friend from New York and they were telling me of the latest craze in NY...cronuts. Yes I know, what is that right? Cronuts is a croissant-doughnut. People are standing in lines all over NY by the hundreds just to get one of these delightful little pastries. ( I can say that because I have since made them.) Some places have a limit on the number you can buy so you may stand in line a long time and then not even get one
I thought about how the craze would soon hit where I live and be like the Krispy Cream craze. When we first heard of them one of our christian schools here would drive to another city once a week where they were made and then drive back to Fort Smith and sell them by the truck loads. People would line up in their cars early morning and sit in line waiting to get these pastries. The school made enough money to do many renovations. So this stirred my imagination of possibly opening a place and getting ahead of the game, being the first to offer these cronuts. In NY some of the cheaper places sell them for five dollars each. I figured it would be good for about six months or so. I had laughed when the name "The Cronut Hut" came to mind as a name for the place. Okay, while the thoughts swirled around in my head, I was not really serious. So hey, if anyone wants to use the cool name and do it, go ahead. LOL!
So now the real thoughts that got my attention. All of these people get up very early to rush and get in line to get these delightful little pastries that will be eaten in a matter of a few minutes and then its gone, over, nothing left but the memory, a quick satisfaction that fulfilled the craving only for a short time. Wow!
What is my point? I sadly thought what if all people would arise early and stand in line at the doors of churches, anticipating the gift of Jesus. (Which is free- Isaiah 55:1-3-An Invitation To Grace) We would not be left out, there would be no limitations of what we would receive and how we could be fulfilled. As Catholics we especially have the opportunity to come each day to this invitation of grace receiving Jesus in the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, being fulfilled spiritually with the greatest food to take with us throughout the day. This is give us this day our daily bread.
I am not implying there is anything wrong with standing in line at the crack of dawn to get cronuts or any other thing we want. I am just reminding us to also make sure we would also do this to nurture our faith and spiritual life. I am not saying we need to get to Mass at the crack of dawn or go and wait for a long time to get in. I am suggesting however, that we would consider the worth of preparing spiritually to receive the Word and the Eucharist by getting to Mass early enough to be like Mary in today's Gospel, borrowing from St. Ignatius, placing ourselves in the scene and spend some time to sit at the feet of the lover of our soul, letting him satisfy our needs, listening to him tell us how glad he is that we are there, how much he loves us, or maybe something he desires to share with us in what he wants to do for us in that Mass. Maybe we are more like Martha and have many things that are making us anxious and worried that we need to give to Jesus so we can focus on him in the present moment of the Mass.
We all live in a Mary world, busy about many things so this is a wonderful scripture to use daily giving to Jesus all our concerns so we can spend time like Mary, receiving Jesus in whatever way he chooses, so we can be renewed in our identity and relations with the lover of our soul.
