With everything I have going on this fall, I wasn’t looking for anything else to do. Sometimes I have an idea, though, and I just can’t shake it. That’s how I felt when I first thought about volunteering to teach faith formation at our parish.
I haven’t taught Sunday School since the year the pandemic started, when I shared a pre-K classroom on Sunday mornings with our older son, who was in sixth grade at the time. This year, our younger son is in eighth grade, and I loved the idea of teaching with him—if he wanted to try.
In my limited experience as a parent of teens, I have found that you have a small but wonderful window of time with them. Next year this young man will be busy being in high school and working toward his own Confirmation. This year, we can have a little Sunday School fun.
For weeks, my son has been telling me that we should take the class outside to play on the playground. Some Sundays, it has been rainy, and others I have been busy trying to get us through the curriculum for the day. But this Sunday was different.
We were celebrating All Saints Day with our class. We were learning about saints while playing saint Bingo and enjoying some treats.
We had been invited to dress as a saint for the day, and I had struggled a bit with a costume. Then I thought of Martha—the sister of Mary and Lazarus. I really admire Martha.
Sure, we might all want to be Mary, choosing the better part, and sitting and listening to Jesus while our sister gets dinner ready in the other room. But Martha shows us that there are ways to connect with Jesus through our daily lives, even when we don’t have time to sit at his feet and listen to him. She shows us, in fact, that we can learn from Jesus and talk to him even in the midst of our work. He hears us, and we hear him.
I think we are all a little like Mary, but I think most of us identify more with Martha. I know I do.
So, I would be Martha for the morning. I threw an apron over a dress, tied back my hair, and stuck a wooden spoon in my apron pocket. I’m sure there are better Martha costumes around, but all I wanted was a conversation starter with our second graders.
As we worked our way through the content we wanted to cover about saints, my son kept one eye on the clock—and one on the playground outside. I looked at him and these young hopefully-future-saints who were wiggling in their seats and knew that he was right. We hadn’t prayed the Litany of the Saints yet, but there is always another day.
So, out we went—for a brief adventure. As I watched the children sliding and running and playing together, I just stood there and smiled. There were conversations in English and conversations in Spanish as the children formed friendships at lightning speed.
My son was right. This was what they needed—fellowship and friendship. I’ve told him many times that as concerned as I am about teaching the children about our faith, my goal each week is to make them want to come back for more. I want them to be excited to learn more about their faith, to want to be close to Jesus, and to want to be a saint one day. We don’t have to accomplish everything in one day.
It can take a lifetime to become a saint.
Standing on the playground, listening to our students laughing, I wasn’t sure whether I was more like Martha or Mary. But, I was sure I had chosen the better part.
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