July 29, 2015

St. Martha, disciple of the Lord

Jn 11: 19-27

And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’ New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved. http://www.usccb.org/bible/approved-translations  

One Thing

"You are anxious and worried about many things." Well, Jesus, in fact, I am and I am sure Martha was too. The to-do list was long: packing for a family of five for a week visiting family, then a week of camping, followed by a conference for me and camp for the kids. "To give and not to count the cost...To labor and not to seek reward," Ignatius helps me pray. Jesus says, "There is need of only one thing." Ignatius answers, "Except that of knowing that I do your will." I used to expect that the peace and consolation from succeeding in this would be pervasive. Twenty years of marriage and three children have taught me that the prayer must be a mantra in the midst of the chaos, and the answer is always a surprise and usually fleeting, like a cool breeze on a hot, humid summer day. —Jackie Beale-DelVecchio is a middle school religion teacher at the Sacred Heart Schools, Chicago, IL.  

Prayer

Lord, teach me to be generous, to serve you as you deserve: to give and not to count the cost;  to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest;  to labor and not to ask for any reward, but that of knowing that I do your will. —St. Ignatius Loyola
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