Daily Thoughts: Here we are
once again beating up poor Martha. Is that really what today Gospel is about?
(Luke 10: 38-42) Is Martha really doing the wrong thing? I think not!
I have often felt that Martha has gotten
a bad rap because of the way we have looked at this Gospel over the centuries.
We seem to think that a person who is hardworking, hospitable and concerned
about her guest is somehow less faithful, less holy than a person of formal
prayer and that is just not true.
Martha is a good and faithful person,
her mistake in the Gospel today is that she focuses on someone else; she is
concerned about someone else is doing rather than focusing on what she is
doing. If Martha had just done her work with joy, enthusiasm and unselfishness
this story in Luke’s Gospel would have never taken place.
Let us for a moment reverse the roles.
Suppose Mary had come to Jesus to complain about Martha. “You know Jesus she is
always working, always running around being hospitable. She should stop when
you come into the house and sit and listen to you!” What would Jesus have said?
My guess is that he says, “Mary, Mary, you are anxious and worried about many
things. There is need of only one thing. Martha has chosen the better part and
it will not be taken from her.”
You see each woman in the story chooses
her journey. Choose what she does best and that becomes her better part. Martha
is a worker, she does it well. Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus, she listens
and she does it well. There will always be tension between action and
contemplation, between ministry and prayer, between work and quiet time. But
the challenge is to pick what is best for us at that moment. What is our better
part at each moment or stage of our life? What will help us to recognize God?
Martha and Mary remind us that there are
many gifts and that each gift is important. We just need to recognize what is
important for us and not be worried about what is important for others!
Have a great Tuesday everyone! Peace in
Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
Daily Prayer:
Just a note before I offer you a prayer
for today. I would have to say that I have never been a big fan of the rosary
mainly because of the communal experiences that I have had with it. People trying
to out yell others, some praying fast others slow, adding prayer after prayer
rather than holding to the simplicity of the rosary. This August I had the
great gift of traveling to Lourdes and praying the rosary each evening I was
there in the candle light procession. It was an amazing experience even though
it was in many different languages. I walked away from that experience with a
greater appreciation for the rosary and I realized that there have been many
moments in my life when I felt like running away from God and it was the simple
prayers of the rosary, the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be… that has held me
in place. The rosary is often the formal prayer that I pray when running
because of its simplicity and power.
Today on this Feast of Our Lady of the
Rosary my thoughts return to my time in Lourdes and the celebration of the gift
of the rosary as a prayer that can keep our feet grounded in God and our eyes
open to the needs of others.
So
for our prayer together today I offer you the opportunity to pray a simple
rosary. Just take some time to say one
Our Father, ten Hail Marys and one Glory Be and pray this sequence of prayers
five times. Just a simple rosary to enliven our journey through life today!
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed
be Your name; Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil. Amen.
Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is
with you. Blessed are you amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb,
Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.
Glory Be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
A Runner’s Thoughts: “Running is a mental
[and spiritual] sport, more than anything else. You're only as good as your
training, and your training is only as good as your thinking [and your
praying].” (Lauren Oliver) So take some time to think and pray today!
Daily Blessing: Happy Tuesday
everyone! The weather has certainly changed the last few days here in the
northeast. The sun is out but there are some clouds that hide it from time to
time and the air is bit cooler. Fall is in the air and there is an energy too.
It is a nice change! I hope and pray things are beautiful and energizing by you
too.
I am moving a little slowly today as
last night was a late night for me. I was at Madison Square Garden attending
the Fleetwood Mac concert. It was a great show. I really enjoy their music. I
didn’t get home until around 12:30 am and I could not go to sleep so I am
dragging a bit today but it was well worth it. I am just not as young as I use
to be!
May God bless you and be with you today.
May God show you what is good, life giving and loving and may God’s grace help
you to act justly and to love tenderly and to walk humbly with God. Amen! Have
a great day everyone. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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