Soak

The message in today’s gospel is as simple as it gets. Simple does not mean easy. Simple does not mean it comes naturally. Simple does not mean automatic. Simple does not mean that we don’t have to work at it. “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.” Anxiety has become a major theme/symptom for so many of us especially here in America. We are bombarded with 8 million things with which to worry and that is just on the evening news let alone the actual happenings of our daily lives. I know people of all ages beginning with the very young to the very old that suffer from anxiety. Martha is a character that we can all relate to and probably understand more than we’d like to admit. She is a goals-oriented, hard-working, driven, task-centered woman that gets things done, and she is stressed out people! 

Here’s the simple message: Mary is not stressed out because she is soaking in the presence of Christ! Shall I say it again? Mary is not stressed out because she is soaking in the presence of Christ! That’s it. She is simply soaking in Jesus through adoration, in quietly listening to him talk, in sitting at his feet, in just being near him. Guess what? We can begin every single day choosing this better portion. It is my deep hunch that when we choose this better portion and practice it until it comes as naturally as being stressed out, then our productivity in work, home, and extracurriculars will also increase. Our Mary time will increase our Martha-ness minus the anxiety and worry. How great is that? Not that productivity should be the goal, just that when Jesus is our first priority, the rest of our lives fall into their proper order as well. Mary teaches us about piety today and it is not some complicated theological, study-driven routine; sit at His feet and listen. Sit at His feet and gaze. Sit at His feet and let Him love you. Sit at His feet before you do anything else. Sit at His feet and soak in the peace that surpasses all understanding. It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1JON 3:1-10

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 
"Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
and announce to it the message that I will tell you."
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,
according to the LORD's bidding.
Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;
it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day's walk announcing,
"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,"
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, 
put on sackcloth.

When the news reached the king of Nineveh,
he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,
covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.
Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh,
by decree of the king and his nobles:
"Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep,
shall taste anything;
they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water. 
Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth 
and call loudly to God;
every man shall turn from his evil way
and from the violence he has in hand.
Who knows, God may relent and forgive, 
and withhold his blazing wrath,
so that we shall not perish."
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;
he did not carry it out.

Responsorial Psalm PS 130:1B-2, 3-4AB, 7-8

R.(3) If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Let Israel wait for the LORD,
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?

Alleluia LK 11:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who hear the word of God
and observe it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 10:38-42

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.”