Santa Marta
H. Sergio Rodriguez, L.C.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Christ, our King, Thy Kingdom come!
Preparatory prayer (to put me in the presence of God)
Lord, You know my heart better than anyone else and You know the things I love the most. Help me to put You in the first place in my life and that I may wear You in my heart like a medal, everywhere I go.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke 10, 38-42
At that time Jesus went into a village, and a woman named Martha received him into her house. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus“ feet and listened to his words. Martha, meanwhile, was busy with various chores, until she came to Jesus and said, ”Lord, have you not noticed that my sister has left me alone with all the work? Tell her to help me.
The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are troubled and anxious about many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary chose the better part and no one will take it away from her.”.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Serving God is not an easy thing because we feel that we stop doing other things that are also important. I think many of us think, if I go to mass every day I won't be able to be with my children, I will stop doing the important and necessary things I have to do, I will waste time... it seems that we can take advantage of our time in so many other ways.
Our mission as lay Christians in everyday realities is to find the right balance between a fervent life of prayer and the obligations we have. God does not want us to leave our family, spouse and children and go to a secluded monastery just to pray and do penance (in most cases this is the case, but the Holy Spirit can illuminate as He wills), but rather He asks us to bring God to work, to school; God is found in everyday realities because He became man and dwelt among us. Everything that is truly human is truly divine thanks to Christ, true man and God.
St. Isidore the Farmer put his work in God's hands, went to Mass every morning and before beginning his day in the fields he would say a short prayer. In the same way, we too can bring God wherever we go. It is true that gaining heaven is more important than gaining things on earth because they end and the things of heaven are eternal, but God wants to be present in our concrete life not only as an idea or a Sunday thing, he wants to be with us twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
«Then there is the other sister, Martha. St. Luke says that she was the one who hosted Jesus. Perhaps Martha was the older of the two sisters, we do not know, but certainly that woman had the charism of hospitality. Indeed, while Mary listens to Jesus, she is totally occupied with other tasks. That is why Jesus says to her: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things”. With these words, he certainly does not intend to condemn the attitude of service, but rather the anxiety with which it is sometimes lived. We too share the concerns of St. Martha and, following her example, we intend to make sure that, in our families and in our communities, we live the sense of acceptance, of fraternity, so that everyone can feel “at home,” especially the little ones and the poor when they knock at the door.»
(Angelus of H.H. Francis, July 21, 2019).
Dialogue with Christ
This is the most important part of your prayer, prepare yourself to talk with much love with the One who loves you.
Purpose
Propose a personal one. The one that involves the most love in response to the Beloved... or, if you believe that this is what God is asking of you, live what is suggested below.
I will do 10 minutes of worship this week.
Farewell
We thank You, Lord, for all Your benefits, You who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
Christ, our King!
Thy Kingdom come!
Most prudent Virgin, Mary, Mother of the Church.
Pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
