St. Martha listened to Jesus: she stopped being "too busy"!

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

July 29 is the Memorial of St. Martha, and the Mass readings can be found at: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/0729-memorial-martha.cfm

Either Gospel may be read today at Mass and both are so very appropriate! In Luke’s Gospel Chap 10, we hear the Grace of God at work in Martha. Jesus said to her:

Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.

Martha Listened and heard Jesus Who is Truth speaking to her heart. She listened and understood that her relationship with Jesus was the one thing she needed, and by His Grace, Martha stopped being too busy about other things and began to do the Truth she heard, as her sister Mary was doing.

In the Gospel taken from John 11 we see how Martha’s Listening to Jesus bore fruit:

…Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, "Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world."

I hope you will also ponder the options for the First Reading – both are very helpful to our growth in Supernatural Faith, Hope and above all Charity, given at Baptism. The First Reading for the Memorial of St. Martha from John’s First Letter (1 Jn 4: 7-16) is an encouragement to love as Jesus loves and the First Reading for Wednesday of the 17th wk in Ordinary time from Jeremiah - is a different kind of encouragement. We can learn as we listen to the Old Testament how God works in human persons toward the Perfection He desires for all. First Reading for Wednesday is found at: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072920.cfm

Come Holy Spiri, fill the hearts of Your Faithful. Kindle in us the Fire of Your Love. Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us. St. Martha, pray for us.

 

[GioG12]

St. Martha, Pray for us!

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear GioG12 and Erundil,

Thank you both for your “hearts”. I wonder if you’d consider adding some words on “why you liked” this post. It can be a help to me and to others to hear what the Lord may be working in each member of the Body of Christ for the upbuilding of the Whole Body, in love. (cf Ephesians 4: 15-16)

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Stephie,

My “ever-Faith -Full heart” and encourager! I was pondering this Gospel and remembering a powerful insight from someone, years ago that has never left me concerning the two sisters, Martha and Mary.

The insight was this - that in each of our souls there exists the “busy” spirit of Martha and the “contemplative” spirit of Mary and this Gospel helps us to recognize these two realities in ourselves. We have a tendency to look for help when we get overworked, but in fact we have often gotten ourselves overworked and begin to take out our frustrations on someone else. But there is also a deeper tendency within us to seek an inner peace we see in others and we can be torn between the two possible calls within ourselves.

The beauty of continuing to listen to Jesus’ words to Martha comes by God’s Grace to anyone who truly Listens to Jesus and who ponders His Words as Mary His Mother did and how Martha, the sister of Mary of Bethany is doing in this scene from the Gospel .

I believe Martha did listen to Jesus and she heard deep in her heart her true call to grow in holiness. Jesus was feeding her hungry heart and she was being nourished by the Words he spoke to her. She did not need to be anxious or so busy or worried about so many things, for Jesus was revealing to her the Good News that she only needed to come to HIm and find the one thing necessary . The Gospel of John helps us to see more clearly by our own Baptismal gift of supernatural Faith, that Martha did come to find the one thing necessary when Jesus said to her:

I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in Me, even if he dies, will live,
and anyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.
Do you believe this?”

and Martha said:

Yes, Lord.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your Faithful; kindle in us the Fire of Your Love, that we may say: “Yes, Lord” – always!

 

[StephieNorthCo]

Very nice insight. Thank you for that. On Mary and Martha… maybe they were aptly named.

God bless you,

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Stephie,

Yes, certainly Mary of Bethany< Martha’s sister who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to Him was much like His Mother Mary – humble and listening, pondering all in her heart. Martha, however, is a good saint for us all of us, for she shows us that by God’s Grace we can be both good servants AND good listeners at the same time – certainly our Mother Mary shows us her contemplative/servant - heart, in John’s Gospel, as she helped the Wedding couple at Cana!

God bless you too, and all of us who continue to ask, and receive, seek and find Him. Let us continue to keep knocking on the door that He may open for us ( cf Mt. 7:7-11)