3 Things St.Martha Teaches Lukewarm Catholics

Today being the memorial of St.Martha, the gospel reading at Mass gives us one of two famous Martha scenes.

St.Martha

Luke 10:38-42 gives us the kitchen scene, where Martha the busybody whines about not getting any help from Mary who sits at Jesus' feet. The Lord Jesus tells her:

"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."

The other gospel reading (depending on which one your parish priest chose for Mass today) is John 11:19-27 where Martha displays the blossoming of her faith when Jesus arrives four days after Lazarus has died. Instead of getting mad at his lateness, Martha displays the strength of her belief in Christ when she says:

"Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."

What happened in between, you might ask? What caused the change?

Martha Listened to the Lord's Advice for Her

First off, she listened to what Jesus told her. She didn't just let it go in one ear and out the other.

If your boss tells you you're doing something wrong, you'd immediately work to correct it right? Well, in the kitchen scene, Martha was scolded by her Lord for being anxious about many things. Did she sit on that info and postpone acting on it? I'd venture to say she took it as a wake up call to stop being overly busy with all the things of the world (cooking, eating) and start prioritizing the things of God (praying, learning) and being closer to the Lord. But she'd never have re-evaluated her outlook had she not listened intently to what Jesus was telling her.

Martha Prioritized "BE" Before "DO"

You can tell she loves being busy -- cooking, feeding, serving. But after Jesus' words, she obviously realized there was a need for her to first BE a faithful, faith-filled follower of the Lord and not simply concentrate on DOING the work.

Too many of us are busy doing the Lord's work when our hearts are not purified, when we remain in mortal sin, when we shun the confessional and the sacraments. By doing so, we do the work relying on our own strength and our own flesh instead of being a pure, faithful follower who relies on God's grace. We DO instead of BE. No wonder we get so stressed out and ineffective at our ministries.

Martha Believed Christ had the Power to Raise the Dead

Her brother had died four days before. Jesus arrived late. She told him that had he been there, Lazarus may not have died. But note: she didn't wail, she didn't whine or wallow in self pity. She wasn't even angry or bitter. She merely stated a fact that her faith led her to believe -- if Jesus asked God to revive Lazarus, it would be done.

"But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you."

What faith! What strong convictions! And yet, as Christians and Catholics, do we have the strength of Martha's beliefs and love for God? How many of us live our lives only half-believing in the Lord's power to work miracles? We do not have because we do not ask. And sometimes even if we ask, we don't believe it will be given. (See James 1:6 "But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind.")



St.Martha, pray for us!
That we may first BE faith-filled followers of Jesus before we DO all the works that fill our days.
That we listen closely to what the Lord is calling us to do.
That we may rely wholly on the Lord's strength and power to do His work.
Amen!


RELATED POSTS:
Martha Was Too Busy To Hear The Need

Saint Agnes's Zeal for Christ was No Teenage Crush

"St. Agnes." Flickr Photo by Truus, Bob & Jan too!

Today is January 21st, the feast day of St. Agnes, the Roman teenage virgin-martyr who, as tradition tells us, refused marriage proposals claiming she was betrothed to none other than Christ. She was young, beautiful, pure, born of a rich family, and even at the young age of 14, totally surrendered to the Lord. Because this was during the time when Christians in Rome were being persecuted, fed to lions, and publicly executed, all these spurned suitors decided if they couldn't have her, then no one could. She was reported to the authorities who threw her into a brothel to torture her. But no man dared approach her. Her purity was too awesome. And her faith throughout it all so totally different. Irritated, the Roman governor had her executed. And even then she encouraged her tormentors to finish the job as she despised the physical beauty she possessed that made the Roman suitors lust after her.

• She could have had her pick of any of the young influential suitors that were hounding her door and married into a powerful family and even multiplied her family's wealth, had she been looking for earthly power or earthly possessions. But she was not.
  
  
• She could have had any of the handsome, probably muscular, young men as husbands had she been looking for mere earthly pleasure. But she was not.
  
  
• She could have stayed quiet about her Christian convictions, and hidden it from people and stayed safe, and stayed alive, had she been looking for earthly security. But again, she was not.

Instead, she loved Christ the only way she knew how: vibrantly, loudly, boldly, purely. This was no fragile teenage crush, no infatuation with a teen idol, no puppy love that would fade after a season. This was a love that allowed a teenager to face torture and death fearlessly because it was focused totally on the God who became man, on the God who died on a cross for our sins, on the God who by His death and resurrection promises us life beyond this earthly life.

This was true fervor and zeal, proclaimed boldly, proclaimed unto death.

St. Agnes, pray for the youth of today, that they may be strong against temptation and keep their eyes and hearts focused on our Lord Jesus who gives us the strength and the grace to face all tribulation boldly.

St.Bridget of Sweden - princess, wife, mother, widow

Reposted from Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

St.Bridget of Sweden

Strong women impress me. Saint Bridget of Sweden is one of them. She persevered till the completion of her race. That we are all called to holiness no matter what our station is in life, is a given in the Christian journey. Still, having eight children, even while being a princess, was probably no walk in the park. No wonder then she is patron saint of widows… and Europe. And yes, her fourth child Catherine would later be known as St.Catherine of Sweden. Which goes to show you: the first apostolate is the family. If we can inspire the people closest to us to look upon the Lord, then we are living out our faith. May we all learn to be bright beacons of faith in our respective homes.

Here is a link to her booklet of 15 beautiful prayers entitled Pieta. While the prayers are beautiful and definitely have been used by the faithful for centuries, the other material (the promises) in the booklet are private revelation to St.Bridget. Catholics are free to believe in them or not. They are not officially accepted by the Catholic Church. Just for your info.

Being Prepared vs Being Blocked

Reposted from Saturday, January 12th, 2008

This arrived in my email reflection for this Sunday’s Gospel readings:

“…And if you feel frustrated because you’re not yet doing what you’d like to do, as long as it’s something that God wants you to do, you’re being prepared, not blocked. You have been chosen by the Father and he is very pleased with you!” — Terry Modica (Good News Ministries )

What it all comes down to is perspective. And this perspective can be altered only by personal choice. Do you choose to see the silver lining or do you see the rain-filled cloud? Half-empty or half-full? Blessing or curse?

Ignatius at Pamplona experiencing cannonball pain

Having faith in God’s plan for your life means seeing temporary setbacks as preparation time: a warm-up before a major race begins. Having faith that God only has good intentions for your life and your welfare means accepting situations wholeheartedly no matter how disappointed or frustrated you might immediately feel. It means letting go of all of that disappointment, and trusting in the Almighty that He has something good for you to learn through all of this.

You think the cannonball that ripped through his leg stopped Ignatius of Loyola from doing the work of the Kingdom of God? Nope. It just forced him to re-assess his career path, and read the Bible and the Lives of the Saints while bed-ridden, and come to know his true life’s mission. And he emerged from it, choosing to see it as a blessing, as a preparation for becoming a global missionary.

May we all trust in the Lord’s plan for our lives. For from him comes all good. And every trial is a chance to become perfect in the eyes of our Creator.

Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. –James 1:2-4

St.Therese Couderc's song of surrender: From Marikina to Milpitas

Reposted from Friday, November 9th, 2007

Exactly a year ago (give or take a few days), a woman named Heidi from the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Milpitas, CA contacted me to ask if they could use a song I composed for a fundraising CD they were planning to release in their parish.

The song they wanted to use was “Pag-Aalay ng Sarili” which I made the music for, using Coring Dolor’s Filipino translation of St.Therese Couderc’s Act of Oblation. I wrote the music back in September 23, 1991 for the Cenacle Sisters in the Philippines, and they ended up using it for their vows ceremonies, where sisters take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The song was originally recorded by Sr.Bubbles Bandojo, RC and Sr.Susay Valdez, RC both friends of mine, in the album Prayers From The Upper Room.

I gave my consent to the recording via email, asking only that Heidi contribute a part of the CD sales to the Cenacle Sisters in the U.S., or mention their contact info in the liner notes for possible vocations. And then I completely forgot about it, as I am wont to do.

Lo and behold, I got an email today with an attached MP3 and got shivers up my spine listening to it. Heidi sings both parts of the song, accompanied by Nathaniel Camillo (I assume from the MP3’s embedded info), and the simplicity and honesty of it touched my heart. Partly because I haven’t heard it in such a long time, partly because it’s sung with such earnestness, and it sounds great despite being a first pass (sometimes first passes are the BEST), and partly because I NEEDED to hear the song today, and God brought her email and her MP3 to me in order to remind me about some things.

The song will be part of a CD which will be released on December 9, 2007 by the Social Justice Ministry of St John the Baptist Catholic Church in Milpitas, CA. They might hand out the CD as a token of appreciation instead of selling it, for their Refugee Sunday event on that day. The event is aimed at reaching out and speaking with refugees in their area, who at this time are mostly from Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Pass by if you’re in the area!

LINK to music sheet of the song (PDF download).

Related Post:
St. Couderc’s Surrender

St. Therese Couderc’s Surrender

Reposted from Thursday, September 27th, 2007

Stained glass window portraying St.Therese Couderc

To surrender oneself is to follow that spirit of detachment which clings to nothing, neither to persons nor to things, neither to time nor to place. It means to adhere to everything, to accept everything, to submit to everything. - Saint Marie Victoire Therese Couderc (1805-1885)

All I know about St. Therese Couderc is that she founded the order of the Religious Of the Cenacle, (aka the Cenacle Sisters) whose ministry is to give retreats and pray, also, this is the order to which a good college friend belongs. The only other thing I do know is a Filipino translation of her prayer of surrender, the offering of the self, which I set to music, and which the Cenacle Sisters in the Philippines now use as their theme song for their profession of vows.

So it is interesting to read that St.Therese Couderc managed a hostel for women at La Louvesc, France , but after a while, when there were too many people and the place was too unruly and noisy, she asked her superior to change the rules: that they could only give shelter to women who were willing to pray there for several days. And suddenly: a retreat house. When her superior introduced St.Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises, the sisters who came to be known as the Cenacle Sisters found an important element to their spirituality, one that would help them draw the women temporarily staying in their houses to God.

LINK: St.Therese Couderc’s bio.

St. Ignatius’ Letters

Reposted from Wednesday, September 26th, 2007

St. Ignatius of Loyola

I’ve always liked St.Ignatius. I remember reading a book about him as a Grade 3 school-kid in Ateneo de Manila and being puzzled at how a man whose leg got shot through with a cannonball could so completely change his life from one of worldly soldiering to one of Christly teaching via a few months of recuperating with nothing else to read but a book on the saints and the Bible. I’ve always admired him for all that he bravely accomplished in his life but never really knew what he was like as a person, until now that is.

This website hosts a collection of Ignatius’ instructional letters to his fellow Jesuits, and in these letters reveals himself in his entirety: as imperfect man, as worthwhile leader, as spiritual guide, as Soldier Of Christ. Wonderful reading.

Much of Saint Ignatius Loyola’s spiritual teaching is found in his letters, and these have always been regarded by Jesuits as an important source of their spirituality. Among Ignatius’ many letters, those written to his fellow Jesuits have always had a special place, for in these the Jesuit of today not only finds Ignatius’ teaching on the spiritual life, but he also meets Ignatius the man, expressing his affection for, and interest in, those to whom he wrote. None of Ignatius’ other writings so ably exhibits the love he bore in his heart for those who chose to walk with him along the path toward Christ than do these letters.

LINK to Ignatius’ Letters.

Daily Thoughts From St. John Baptist de La Salle

Reposted from Wednesday, September 12th, 2007

Back when I was teaching in De La Salle- College of Saint Benilde, I went in search of the writings of St. John Baptist De La Salle, for whom the school was named. His writings are not well-known to many. And upon finding some of them, I realize why this is so: a lot of his letters had to do with the day-to-day activity of the brothers in his order. On the surface of it all, his words were about mundane things. Nevertheless, his spirituality shines through precisely because it deals with the mundane.

One website I found recently: Daily Thoughts From St. John Baptist de La Salle has collected St. De La Salle’s thoughts and placed one thought, one quote per day for the entire year.

Brother Patrick Tierney F.S.C., took all excerpts from St. La Salle's writings, and added headings and scripture quotes. It’s a lovely way to introduce yourself to the saint’s writings.

St. Peter Chrysologus’ Wisdom

reposted from Friday, August 24th, 2007

St. Peter Chrysologus of Italy. Feast day: July 30.

This quote arrived in my email at the end of last month. And I’d forgotten I started this blog entry then. So let me finish it now. First the quote:

Anyone who wishes to frolic with the devil cannot rejoice with Christ. - Saint Peter Chrysologus (406-450)

Perfect in its simplicity. Succinct and precise. Either you get closer to God or you move away from God and move closer to the world and all its vain allures, and all its empty promises — and everyone knows those vain promises of (fleeting) happiness brought by sin can only come from the devil.

Monday, July 30 is the feast day of St. Peter Chrysologus, who was an archbishop in Italy, and a doctor of the church, and was known for his short homilies because (it was said) he was afraid of boring the people.

And I wouldn’t have known of this quote had it not been for the wonderful work of the Good News Ministries that sends out 2 daily email messages: Today’s Blessing which is a quote by a saint, and Daily Reflections on the Mass readings for the day. Get those 2 emails in your inbox everyday, I implore you. Stop frolicking with the enemy.

LINK: Good News Ministries
LINK: Wikipedia entry on Saint Peter Chrysologus

Mother Teresa’s Dark Night Of The Soul

Reposted from Friday, August 24th, 2007

Time Magazine has an extensive article about a new book of letters spanning 66 years of correspondence between Mother Teresa and her confessors and superiors, showing that she was battling a spiritual dryness since starting her missionary work — a totally new dimension to the woman, one that not even her fellow sisters in the Missionaries of Charity fully knew.

Edited by Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk, the man petitioning for Mother Teresa’s sainthood, the letters reveal that Christ talked to her, invited her to start serving the “poorest of the poor,” and then except for 5 weeks in 1959, never again. Yet despite no consolation and possessing the feeling of abandonment by the God she served, she forsook neither her faith nor her work, persevering till death.

The article describes highlights of her life with quotes from the letters, positing explanations for her crisis, and lauding her struggle for holiness and humility.

My respect for her truly deepens.

LINK:Mother Teresa’s Crisis of Faith