Our Monday Dinner (December 14)
One of the most memorable events for me on our December Pilgrimage happened on Monday evening which I will call the Lasagna Episode! It began as an ambitious endeavor to provide the most scrumptious lasagna ever made by an Italian lady. With the help of the kitchen staff, Frances and myself, Marilda had prepared a wonderful dinner for Father Michael and all of us with bread, fruit and salad as sides. She carefully placed the large aluminum pan of lasagna in the oven and turned on the timer. It took a bit longer to cook than we expected but we three “Marthas” kept busy in the kitchen of our AirBNB.
Noticing that the other four ladies (Denise, Olivia, Mary Jo, and Janette) were visiting with Father Michael in the living room while we worked in the kitchen, an appropriate scripture popped into my head. “Martha 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.” (Luke 10:39-42)
So with this scripture in mind, I briefly deserted my post in the kitchen, leaving Marilda and Frances to mind the cooking for a few minutes to tell the group in the living room that we three Marthas would like to change places with the four Marys the next evening and visit with Father while they do kitchen duty. (Note: We ended up eating out so it was a moot point.)
While I was in the middle of my request, a shriek came from the kitchen! Running in, we saw that half of the lasagna had fallen out of the pan into the oven when Marilda had attempted to take it out by herself. And like any good Italian, Marilda was crying over it and would not be consoled. While Father soothed her feelings in the living room, we ladies sprang into action, carefully putting the lasagna back in the pan and cleaning the oven.
After everything settled down and the table was set, everyone served themselves. Some even went back for seconds! Everything was delicious! The moral of the story: A Martha should not leave the kitchen when dinner is being prepared!
