Poured out with Joy

But, even if I am poured out as a libation upon the sacrificial service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with all of you. // Philippians 2:17

“Mama, when are we going to buy new bikes?”

“Mama, what are we having for dinner?”

“Mama, he hit me!”

“Mama? . . . Mama! . . . Mama?”

I was standing in our new house, surrounded by towers of boxes and drywall dust, trying to unpack while staying out of the way of painters and contractors. In the midst of chaos, somehow I was still responsible for parenting my children. I was stretched thin, trying to accomplish the gargantuan tasks in front of me.

Trying to model and cultivate virtue when life gets busy is no small feat. I feel, as Saint Paul says in today’s First Reading, like I am being “poured out” (Phillippians 2:17) I fold laundry, make dinner, allow myself to be interrupted so I can listen to the happy chatter of a tween or the unintelligible babble of a toddler. I gently draw my kids back to order when our family prayer time starts to unravel in distraction. I read stories, give hugs and kisses, teach them to pause and notice beauty. I take them to Mass.

In all of these ways, I pour out my life willingly at the service of their faith. I teach them to face every task, every challenge, every one of life’s circumstances, with rejoicing.

Where is your life being poured out? Do you feel resentful and depleted? Or do you approach the daily grind of your life with gratitude and rejoicing? Each task that is required of you today is a step on your path to Heaven, and Jesus is with you.