Trudie
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 Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:42 pm Post subject: July 29th - St. Martha |
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July 29th - St. Martha
Today, July 29, is the Feast of St. Martha, sister of St. Mary Magdalene and
St. Lazarus. We find her in the Scriptures three times, twice directly and
once indirectly.
In the first instance, Martha questions Jesus about her sister, who was
sitting listening at the Lord's feet while Martha was busy preparing the
meal in the Gospel of St. Luke:
"Martha was busy about much serving. She stood and said: 'Lord hast thou no
care that my sister hath left me alone to serve? Speak to her therefore,
that she help me.'
"And the Lord answering, said to her: 'Martha, Martha, thou art careful and
art troubled about many things. But one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen
the best part, which shall not be taken away from her'" (10:40-42).
We also find her questioning Jesus about the death of her brother, Lazarus,
in St. John's Gospel, where she comes to a deeper faith in the divinity of
Christ, much like the example of the Samaritan woman (John 4:15).
"Martha, therefore, as soon as she heard that Jesus had come, went to
meet him, but Mary sat at home. Martha therefore said to Jesus: 'Lord, if
thou had been here, my brother would not have died. But now also I know that
whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it to thee.'
"Jesus said to her: 'Thy brother shall rise again.' "Martha said to him:
'I know that he shall rise again, in the resurrection at the last day.'
"Jesus said to her: 'I am the resurrection and the life. He that
believes in me, although he be dead, shall live. And everyone that lives and
believes in me shall not die forever. Believest thou this?'
"She said to him: 'Yea, Lord I have believed that thou art Christ the
Son of the living God, who art come into this world'" (11:20-27).
The third instance is a reference to Jesus, shortly before the Holy Week,
when Our Lord had supper at the house of Lazarus along with Martha and Mary
(John 12:1-2). He then stayed as their guest there that night.
"Jesus, therefore, six days before the pasch, came to Bethany, where
Lazarus had been dead, whom Jesus raised to life. And they made him a supper
there, and Martha served. And Lazarus was one of them that were at table
with Him."
From there, Our Lord would leave to enter triumphant into Jerusalem on Palm
Sunday. That blessed family would, therefore, provide a place for Our Lord
to rest His head a short while before the most solemn week in the History of
mankind.
In her three reported encounters with Jesus, St. Martha represented the
Three Ways of the Interior Life, as taught by theologians such as Fr.
Garrigou-Lagrange, a famous French theologian of the time of Pius XII.
The Purgative Way is represented in the first encounter, when Martha's soul
is purified of her attachment to her own will by coming to recognize that
"one thing necessary," doing the will of God.
The Illuminative Way is symbolized when Jesus reveals Himself to Martha
before He raises Lazarus from the dead: "I am the resurrection and the life.
He that believes in me, although he be dead, shall live. And everyone that
lives and believes in me shall not die forever."
The Unitive Way is represented when Jesus stays in the home of His three
friends. Not only does Our Lord physically reside in Martha's home, but
because she has been previously instructed, He finds in her soul a fit
dwelling place through her contemplation of His presence. It is by doing
God's will and receiving the illumination that comes after fidelity to that
Will that we are thus prepared for a similar gift to the one that St. Martha
symbolized.
Alas, many people never get beyond the first stage in the interior life.
This does not mean that such people lose their souls, but rather, as
Garrigou-Lagrange points out in his masterpiece, Life Everlasting, persons
like these will see in Purgatory the higher place they would have had in
Heaven had they been willing to cooperate with the grace that God was
offering to them to make further progress. Indeed, they will suffer acutely
from this realization.
Whereas St. Martha made a profound act of humility in accepting Jesus'
gentle rebuke in Luke's Gospel, we often do the unthinkable act of
questioning Our Lord's wisdom or convincing ourselves that it is not the
voice of God speaking to our souls after all when His answer is different
from what we want to hear. Imagine if after Jesus had told Martha that "only
one thing is necessary," she had turned around and walked away sad, like the
rich man who had many possessions.
Every soul that is serious about following Our Lord will be visited by Him
to test the purity of his or her intentions. It is then that the soul makes
its choice either for God or for self. It is precisely in Martha's humility
that we find her ascent to the first step of sanctity, because it is clear
that there was a resistance in her natural dispositions to embrace the will
of God, and she needed to purge it.
Like St. Martha, we should have the humility to face our own defects and
then fight against them. Afterwards, Our Lord will illuminate our souls
showing the way He chose for us to follow, and then, we will start to be one
with Him, that is, united with Him. This mystical union is a pre-taste of
the eternal happiness we will have in Heaven where He will be "our reward
exceedingly great."
By Father Paul Sretenovic
See Images at:
http://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j139sdMartha_Sretenovic_6-29.htm
Saint Quote
Compassion is preferable to cleanliness: with a little bit of soap I can
clean my bed, but think of the flood of tears I would require to clean from
my soul the stain that harshness against this unfortunate would leave.
--Saint Martin de Porres
Bible Quote:
He who loves his life shall lose it; and he who hates his life in this
world, keeps it unto life everlasting. St. John 12:25
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Prayers:
Saint Martha, pray for us that we might serve Jesus better.
Help us to overcome our distractions
O Little Flower of Jesus, ever consoling troubled souls with
heavenly graces, in your unfailing intercession I place my
trust. From the Heart of Our Blessed Savior petition these
blessings of which I stand in greatest need...
MENTION REQUEST HERE
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Shower upon me your promised roses of virtue and grace,
dear Saint Therese, so that swiftly advancing in sanctity and
in perfect love of neighbor, I may someday receive the
crown of eternal life. Amen.
I greet you, Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, lily of purity,
ornament and glory of Christianity. I greet you, great Saint,
seraph of divine love. I rejoice at the favors our blessed
Lord Jesus has liberally bestowed on you. In humility and
confidence I ask you to help me, for I know that God has
given you love and pity as well as power. Then, behold my
distress, my anxiety, my fears. Tell Him my wants. Your
requests will crown my petition with success, will fill me with
joy. Remember your promise to do good on earth. Please
obtain for me from God the graces I hope for from the
infinite goodness of our blessed Lord, especially...
MENTION REQUEST HERE
Amen. |
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