Monday, July 29, 2019

Mary TV: July 29, 2019 Reflection - St. Martha, pray for us!


(c)Mary TV/Anthony Zubac

 
July 29, 2019
St. Martha

Dear Family of Mary!

"Dear children! My call for you is prayer. May prayer be a joy for you and a wreath which binds you to God. Little children, trials will come, and you will not be strong, and sin will reign but, if you are mine, you will win, because your refuge will be the Heart of my Son Jesus. Therefore, little children, return to prayer until prayer becomes life for you in the day and the night. Thank you for having responded to my call." (July 25, 2019)

It seems to me on this beautiful feast of St. Martha, that we can see exactly what Our Lady means in her message of July 25, 2019. Let me share the Gospel story that we all associate with St. Martha:

Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She 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: 38-42)
Our Lady tells us she is calling us to prayer. "May prayer be a joy for you and a wreath which binds you to God." In this Gospel we see Mary at Jesus' feet, unable to pull herself away from His presence. She is in deep prayer. Her soul is completely open to His words. Her heart is responding with love. She has found her refuge in the Heart of Jesus!

But Martha has not yet encountered Jesus with her heart. It seems she is only relating to Him in a social way, being a good hostess. In this "work" she is doing, she is experiencing her own weakness. She is burdened with much serving. As Our Lady says in the message, "Trials will come, you will not be strong..." Martha was experiencing her own weakness in the trial of hosting Jesus. She was trying to meet the trial with her own strength. It is never enough.

And so Jesus tells Martha: "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." What is that one thing? It is to realize exactly what Our Lady told us: "your refuge will be the Heart of my Son Jesus." In our trials and difficulties, we must remember this. Our refuge is in the Heart of Jesus. Yes, we will be weak in the days ahead. Yes, we will fail if we try to overcome our trials by our own strength. But if we run to the Heart of Jesus in prayer, and stay there, we will win! We will succeed in helping Our Lady and Jesus to save souls.

St. Martha learned her lessen well. She later professed great faith in Jesus, when he came to raise Lazarus from death. She knew that Jesus was her refuge and stayed within that refuge even in the face of the tragedy of her brother's death.

We too must learn our lessen. We need to do as Our Lady has told us: "Therefore, little children, return to prayer until prayer becomes life for you in the day and the night." Day and night, we must run to the Heart of Jesus in prayer, to find wisdom, strength, hope, power and love.

Saints Martha and Mary, pray for us.  Mother Mary, intercede for us in these days of trial.

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2019
   
 




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