Accepting Interruptions like Jesus
How do you feel when you’re interrupted? Imagine you’ve thought through your day, you’re ready to go about your business – ticking off boxes and completing tasks, working, praying, playing; it’s all prepared mentally in your mind. Then comes an interruption, and somehow the whole day winds up being totally different. For most people, interruptions are a regular occurrence, so how do you respond?
More often than not, my reaction is not great!
This really came to light recently when I went to France on retreat to stay with a contemplative community. I was out there seeking silence and prayer and rest for my soul. By day three of nine, I’d settled into the groove of the community rhythms. This new day was all planned in my head: I was going to spend some time in the morning in the church in quiet prayer with the Lord, then I would work through a theology book that I’ve been really excited to read and journal with it – something I haven’t been able to make time for at home in Sheffield. I’m eager to start this day.
I go to Lauds (a morning prayer service) with the community and a priest asks me if I can attend an hour of Adoration (personal silent prayer in the presence of Jesus) at 11am. Perfect, I think, that fits in with my plan.
After Lauds, I grab a quick cup of coffee. I’m two sips in when a French nun walks up to me and repeats, “Cuisine, cuisine”. My French is poor, but my B in GCSE serves me today as I understand: What? They want me to work in the kitchen? I head across to the large community kitchen with more grumbling in my heart than I’d like to admit and realise, yes, I am very much expected to work this morning. My plan to read and journal was falling apart, and my mood had swiftly soured.
It's clear for all to see, I’m definitely a work in progress! My interior disposition really challenged me that day. Particularly as I reflect on the fact that, as a follower of Jesus, I’m called to follow His ways, including the ways He responds to interruptions.
The Gospel stories are brimming with examples of Jesus being interrupted. Whether by a centurion (Matthew 8:5-13), a sick woman reaching through the crowds (which was an interruption within an interruption! - Matthew 9:18-26), a blind beggar (Mark 10: 46-52) or even by his disciples interrupting his sleep (Matthew 23:27), Jesus always responded to these interruptions with grace, presence, and love.
So how can we become more like the Lord with this? You’ll see I am not overly qualified to advise but I have found an inspiring person who can - St. Thérèse of Lisieux. One of my favourite books is called Interior Freedom, and the author - Fr. Jacques Philippe - uses the example of St Thérèse to explain the freedom available in interruption. He writes:
‘St. Thérèse did not like having her work interrupted. Sometimes she was asked to do work requiring quite a lot of concentration … [but] the schedule of the Carmelite community was so intense that she had very little time at her disposal. When she finally found an hour or two to devote to the job, she applied herself in the following spirit: ‘I choose to be interrupted.’ If a good Sister then came by to ask her for some little service, instead of coldly sending her away Thérèse made the effort to accept the interruption with good grace. And if nobody interrupted her, she considered that a charming present from her loving God and was very grateful to him.’
I love this! Fr. Philippe and St Thérèse help us to see that - despite how hard it can be to welcome interruptions - those are great opportunities for God to mould us into his image. No matter how frustrating the interruption, I always have a choice in how I respond. And, by God’s grace, we can go even further: learning to welcome interruptions is the first step, but we can even grow to the point of being able to will them, desiring the opportunity to lean on God at the times when we aren’t able to do what we want to do.
This is deeply inspiring to me. Since interruptions will always be with us this side of Heaven, we can face them with a new outlook and adopt the words of St.Thérèse as our own: I choose to be interrupted.
Full time missionary, Pippa Baker worked in the Advertising industry for 6 and a half years in Central
London. In 2017 she felt the call to quit her job to pursue a life working with the Church all over the UK. Her passion lies in helping the next generation follow Jesus daily. She helps lead One Hope Project, a creative collective encouraging fresh expressions of worship in the Catholic Church.