What does your life look like?

By Tom Quiner

What does your life look like?

Are you building a legacy that you’ll be proud of?

Suppose you stacked up the days of your life. Every act of love is a metaphorical brick. Over a lifetime, these bricks grow and take shape, forming a cathedral.

By the same token, every act of selfishness is the equivalent of taking a chisel to the edifice of your cathedral.

An old monk in Spain has spent his lifetime building a cathedral out of junk. I am not talking metaphorically in the case of Justo Gallego Martínez. He has really built a cathedral with his own bare hands. Brick by brick.

He’s been working on it for 53 years using recycled materials, some of which are so recycled, some consider it junk, such as the old oil drums he’s integrated into the design.

At 90 years old, he says he’s getting close to finishing it. At that age, let’s hope so! Watch the quick video above to see what his cathedral looks like. His inspiration? Our Lady of the Pillar.

Few build authentic cathedrals in the physical world. Ours take shape in our  loving relationships. Spouses. Children. Friends.

Based on today’s Gospel reading, our attitude is important. Remember Mary and Martha in the Gospel of Luke?

“Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”

My late mother-in-law always sympathized with Martha. “Someone has to get the meal on!” she was heard to say (on more than one occasion).

Jesus understands. Martha may have considered His words a scolding. But they are really quite gentle. I think He is telling her to do the things she does with love, (especially in the presence of the Divine!).

In this scripture passage, she is irritated.

Who amongst us hasn’t been irritated? Martha’s negative attitude, though, is pulling her down, or to use the example above, taking a chisel to her edifice. If this type of negative attitude becomes a habit, Martha’s cathedral may come crashing down.

What does your life look like? Let Justo Gallego Martínez be an inspiration to build a spiritual cathedral on a foundation of love.

Let Mary … and Martha be your inspiration to love and adore the Divine.