Weekend Reflections for 7/19/19

What does it mean to have a Marian spirit? Martha has to learn the answer the hard way in this Sunday's Gospel, from her own sister Mary. A Marian spirit is actively receptive. It is prayerful in the midst of busyness.
Martha does eventually become St. Martha, we know, so she learns her lesson! So can we.

What does she learn? What is it that our Lord reproves in her? What is it that he wishes to correct? Let us listen to the sage insight of St. Therese of Lisieux in this regard: "It is not Martha’s works that Jesus finds fault with; His divine Mother submitted humbly to these works all through her life since she had to prepare the meals of the Holy Family.  It is only the restlessness of His ardent hostess that He willed to correct." (XI, 258)
You and I can indeed perform the very same works during our day either with a spirit of restless anxiety, or a spirit of prayerful openness. The choice is ours.

In our busy day-to-day life, how is the Lord inviting us to acquire a Marian spirit? A helpful suggestion in this regard is to bookend our day with prayer. When I grew up on the farm, there was a beautiful painting on the wall of our home stating, "A day hemmed in prayer is less likely to unravel." It is true. Let us pray to St. Martha to teach us the Marian spirit of her sister, so similar to that of the Mother of God!

-Fr. Anthony Wieck, SJ