The witnesses of Martha and Mary reflect the two aspects of our spiritual journey: service through activity and service through contemplation. We are called to serve the Lord by our service in love for others. At the same time we are called to serve the Lord directly by focusing our total attention on him. Jesus summed the two up when he quoted the great Schema, which he reflected and lived in his own life. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your mind, all your soul, all your heart and all your strength. You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself." The first commandment is service of God directly through contemplation, focusing with all of your energy solely on the Lord. The second commandment is service of others directly out of love of God. Though most can more easily relate to Martha, we need to develop the Mary part of us as well.

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
          Why do you think the Father is pleased to give us the kingdom? What is involved in receivng
          the Kingdom of God.?

           "Do not be afraid" is a common message of God both in the Old and New Testaments.


Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
           What does Jesus mean by this last statement? What is your heart really centered on? What is in
           fact your heart’s desire? Is it God, or is it to survive in the present moment?


Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."
           Do you have an expectation of Jesus’ coming again? Do you really want him to come anytime 
          soon? What if he came tonight, are you ready? Will he find you prepared to receive him?


Then Peter said, "Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?" And the Lord replied, "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant in charge of all his property. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish the servant severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly.
        What is the key point of Jesus’ teaching?
        Do we know what Jesus expects of us? Are we doing it?


Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more."
        How much has God given us? Does he have a right to expect much from us? What are we doing
       with these gifts?

"There is in us an instinct for newness, for renewal, for a liberation of creative power. We seek to awaken in ourselves a force which really changes our lives from within. And yet the same instinct tells us that this change is a recovery of that which is deepest, most original, most personal in ourselves. To be born again is not to become somebody else, but to become ourselves."(Thomas Merton) Wow! Isn’t this what happens in Baptism and in Reconciliation, if we have separated ourselves from God through mortal sin? These two sacraments don’t make us "somebody else", but the person we were in the mind of God before the world began. We were willed into being by God to be his adopted sons or daughters. But because of the sin of Adam, our self-identity was warped to be one who is alienated from God. The rebirth that takes place in Baptism and in the Sacrament of Reconciliation restores our true identity, our true worth, our true inheritance, by becoming ourselves.

"In your work, offer your difficulties and troubles quite simply to God…and you will find that His blessing will rest upon you and on all you do." (St. John Vianney) Many times we complain about our difficulties and troubles in our daily routine, to no avail. Merely complaining about them tends to exaggerate them and to create a negative environment in which we find ourselves. These are the little or big crosses of each person’s journey. We can let them overwhelm us, or we can use them to build a staircase to the Lord through prayer. As the saying goes: when you are given lemons, make lemonade. One is sour to the taste, the other is easier and more pleasant to our taste buds. Complaining about our troubles is merely to suck on the lemon. Offer them in prayer to the Lord transforms the troubles, not take them away. The lemonade still has the taste of lemon, but an acceptable one.

"Even though our emotional and spiritual lives are distinct, they do influence one another profoundly. Our feelings often give us a window on our spiritual journeys. When we cannot let go of jealousy, we may wonder if we are in touch with the Spirit in us that cries out "Abba." When we feel very peaceful and "centered," we may come to realize that this is a sign of our deep awareness of our belovedness. Likewise our prayer lives, lived as faithful response to the presence of the Spirit within us, may open a window on our emotions, feelings, and passions and give us some indication of how to put them into the service of our long journey into the heart of God."(Henri Nouwen) How attentive are we to the presence of the Spirit within us, to the subtle move of his grace within us? When we experience various emotional moments, specifically, those that have been painful, have we ask the Lord to reveal to us what is going on within us and what he desires us to do in response? Is this emotional expression a trigger to something deeper within us that we are dealing with on the surface or afraid to deal with at the source? What we hate within us may be the point of transformation that God desires to begin with and bring about in us.

"When we work hard, we must eat well. What a joy, that you can receive Holy Communion often! It’s our life and support in this life — Receive Communion often, and Jesus will change you into himself." (St. Peter Julian Eymard) Do we approach the Eucharist with these sentiments? Do we recognize in faith that as we need natural food to sustain our human life, we need the spiritual food of the Body and Blood of Jesus to sustain our spiritual life? So often we may receive this great gift of Divine love with some indifference or lack of conscious awareness of the grace of the moment. Our infinite God humbles himself to become food for us so that he may transform us more into his image and likeness. In this intimacy of love we become one in time with God in a real but mystical way, anticipating and reflecting the eternal union of love with God forever. Our full understanding of this mystery will only be clear in eternity.

"Acquire the habit of speaking to God as if you were alone with Him, familiarly and with confidence and love, as to the dearest and most loving of friends. Speak to Him often of your business, your plans, your troubles, your fears— of everything that concerns you. Converse with Him confidently and frankly; for God is not wont to speak to a soul that does not speak to Him." (St. Alphonsus Liguori) Is this what St. Paul talks about when he advocates unceasing prayer? It is a habit that takes discipline and practice before it becomes an integral and fruitful part of our lives. Often we speak to God when we need something from him, otherwise he is not on our radar. Is a wonder that we feel sometimes that he is not listening and is not responding? As St. Alphonsus Liguori said above: "For God is not wont to speak to a soul that does not speak to Him." Begin and increase the practice of short ejaculations to God throughout your day. Offer prayers of praise, love, thanksgiving, adoration, blessing, etc, to remain consciously in His presence. Then, when we do offer our petitions, they will be part of a bigger conversation and relationship.

Let us continue to reflect on the greatest treasure we have been given by God, a share in his divine life and the accompanying inheritance, namely, eternal union with God. Sometimes we do not realize the value of this gift. Like Esau, we are willing to exchange it for something more desirous and tangible here and now. Like Peter, in the moment of fear, we deny our relationship with Jesus to protect our life. Would that we would have the guile of a snake, who is willing to lose his body as long as  his head is in tack. Would that we had the courage and the conviction of the martyrs, who gave their bodies to torture and destruction, rather than deny their commitment to God. Thus, in doing so, they held the treasure of life with God more valuable than the preservation of their human life on earth. Why cling to the lesser treasure and lose the greater one, rather than cling to greater one and have both to the fullest?

What is the most important gift I have been given? The first gift I have receive is the gift of existence. But greater than my personal life is the gift of God's divine life, invisible but real in me. That I am the biological child of my parents is a blessing, but to be the adopted child of God is even greater. Though I will live forever because of the life I received from God through my parents, if I die sharing in God's divine life, I will live eternally with God in his glory. Aware of this precious treasure (God's divine life within me) I carry in this earthen vessel, my body (my human life) I should do all I can to be grateful, to safeguard and to grow in both gifts, but especially that of divine life. This should be a daily decision and action.

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me."

  The Book of Deuteronomy specified how a father’s inheritance should be divided up. The eldest son always got the larger portion. Maybe this son was asking for more of an equal division of the inheritance. That was not what Jesus was about. He replied to him, "Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?" Then he said to the crowd, "Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions."


Jesus makes a distinction between having possessions and being owned by them. The question is not that a person may be rich. Rather it is, does he see himself as a steward of God’s gifts or as a possessor of these for his own use?           He also tells him that one’s true value is not based on how much one possess, but on how
          one lives his life.
Then he told them a parable. "There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!"’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Notice the absorption of the man with himself. He uses "I" six times and "my" five times. His success is seen for his own use and not in relationship to anyone else.
What is our idea towards our possessions? Do we sense an area of greed in us? We are never satisfied with what we have, we want more and more?
Jesus teaches that material possessions will never fully satisfy us. No matter how much we have, we will always want more. That is the situation of our fallen human nature.
Reflect on other related teachings of Jesus:
"One does not live by bread alone " (Lk 4:4).          "What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?"
         (:Lk 9:25)
        "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body,
        what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than  
         clothing" (Lk 12:22-23)                          See the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31).
                "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" (Lk
                18:24).

Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God."

What is the issue here? What does it mean to you to be "rich in what matters to God?"  What is God saying to you in this passage?

"Our emotional lives and our spiritual lives have different dynamics. The ups and downs of our emotional life depend a great deal on our past or present surroundings. We are happy, sad, angry, bored, excited, depressed, loving, caring, hateful, or vengeful because of what happened long ago or what is happening now. The ups and downs of our spiritual lives depend on our obedience - that is, our attentive listening - to the movements of the Spirit of God within us. Without this listening our spiritual life eventually becomes subject to the windswept waves of our emotions." (Henri Nouwen) Living in the present moment is difficult at times and requires the strength of God's grace. We can't change the past but we can change the effects of the past. Emotions are important part of our lives. But they were never meant to be the controlling part. God gives us the grace in the present moment to take captive the effects of hurtful past memories. How? Instead of allowing them to be the controlling factor in our lives, we need to surrender them to the Lord in the present moment and seek his plan to properly and permanently to deal with them. This will take time, but it will provide the solution.

Before we can grow deeper in our relationship with the Lord, there must be a new encounter and an invitation. He is the initiator of the grace. Mine is the response of "Yes". Because of  his great love for me and his desire that I share more fully in his life, he stands at the door of my heart knocking, waiting for me to open up to him in a new way, in response to this new grace. Why do I hesitate and delay? What is my fear? Is it a lack of trust that  he alone can satisfy me at the core of my being? Is it that I am not ready to let go my sins and totally surrender myself to him? Lord, in spite of these false attachments and lies, continue to encounter me, to invite me, to knock at the door of my heart, lest I lose my way forever. I do love you.

This is the Feast of St. James, the brother of St. John. He was one of the first disciples to follow Jesus after the miraculous catch of fish. Though he was ambitious, envious and impetuous at times, in spite of the special privilege he had as one of the three intimate disciples of Jesus' circle, he also was the first of the Apostles to give witness to Jesus through martyrdom. What can we learn from his life? Though he wasn't perfect in his relationship with Jesus, his commitment was steadfast, not wavering at the point of giving his life for Jesus. Though he didn't understand all that Jesus was doing and expecting of him, though he probably questioned some of Jesus' actions and words, in the end he was faithful. What really counts are not our failures during the journey but the depth of our relationship with Jesus at the end of our life. The question, "Who do you say I am" is not a casual interest on the part of Jesus, but the most significant question we will face at that critical moment of life, death.

St. Mary Magdalene is a model disciple for all of us. Like her, we were and are capable of being great sinners in need of God's deliverance and mercy. Like her, once encountered by Jesus, our lives have changed for the better. Like her, we want to respond to Jesus' love with love. Like her, we are called to be a disciple. We may not have visually witnessed the Risen Savior, but we have experienced the many graces of the Risen Savior. Like her, we are called to be a witness to others of what God has done in our lives. With the Church we pray: "Through her intercession and example may we proclaim the living Christ and come to see him reigning in glory."

"For the Word of God is a light to the mind and a fire to the will. It enables man to know and to love him." (St Lawrence of Brindisi) How often have we sought to know the will of God? How often have we wanted God to speak to us? His Word, the Scriptures, give us both the will of God for us and is his way of speaking to us daily. How often do we really read and reflect on God's Word? True, we may have some difficulty comprehending what God says in his Word. But, he has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit to enlighten us, to be that light and fire for us. A greater clarity comes with our persistence in reading and reflecting on his Word. In time, the Word of God not only is a light and fire but also becomes food for our journey.

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test."

  Luke’s version is shorter than the traditional one we fine in Matthew’s Gospel.           Notice Jesus says we should begin our prayer with praise and adoration of God before           petition. He presents three teachings to the disciples on communal prayer.
What are the three areas we ask the Father’s help in when we pray the Lord’s Prayer?
And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.

  The parable that Jesus uses emphasizes the need to be persistent in prayer. How persistent are we in our prayer to God?          It is not that God needs to be reminded of our needs, but that we recognize of our total  dependency on God for everything."And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 


There is a certainty in Jesus’ teaching on prayer. What is the basis of that certainty? What is the connection between the Our Father and this certainty?
What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"


That certainty is based on the love of the Father for us. He only gives us good things even when we ask for something that is not good for us.
The greatest gift the Father desires for us is the gift of himself in the person of the Holy Spirit. This is the gift Jesus promised to send after his resurrection and ascension.
What is the simple process for us to receive the Holy Spirit in a fuller way? Prayer.           What message do we apply to our daily lives from our reflection of this passage?

Lord, your forgiveness is as total as your love is unconditional. The prophet Micah proclaims that you cast our sins into the sea when you forgive us and that you delight in clemency. It is your way of reminding us of the depth of your love and mercy for us, who are  underserving because of the repetitive nature of our sinfulness. There is no other way to respond to this gift of mercy than to imitate the same in our relationship with others, even imperfectly. You set the bar for us in this area of forgiveness at a level we can humanly reach with the help of your grace. Like the spiritual athlete we are called to be on our journey, let us aim high, even though we don't clear the bar on the first few times.

"The best perfection of a religious man is to do common things in a perfect manner. A constant fidelity in small things is a great and heroic virtue." (St. Bonaventure) St. Therese of Liseux also realized this, seeking to do everything, no matter how small and common, in and with love. It is called "The Little Way". Holiness is hard and easy. Hard, because we make it hard and distant from us. But easy in so far as the everyday actions and choices can be done with love or not. Doing everything with love transforms the deed and ourselves. A Retreat Master once told me: "Do what you are suppose to do, when you are supposed to do it, the way you are supposed to do it, to the best of your ability for the love of God." How more simple can it be to grow in love and holiness than this. And yet how hard it is to do the simple things this way. This is why we are a mystery.

"Don't worry, we are in God's hands." (Pope Francis) Do we have the same sense of trust in God? Do we really believe that he really cares for us in every moment of our life? So often anxieties and fears control us rather than the assurance of his providential love and care. To be in God's hands does not mean nothing bad will happen to us. But it does mean that, in spite of the bad, true and lasting good will result. Knowing that he was in the hands of the Father by his choice, Jesus could embrace the sufferings of the cross. True, he had a sense of abandonment because of the weight of our sins, but he had the confidence of the resurrection. The invitation that Jesus gives, "Come to me all you who labor and are heavily burdened," is the invitation to entrust ourselves into God's hands. For Jesus to be the Lord of our lives means to go and remain in his hands in all circumstances, so that we can weather the storms of life.

"The identity card of a Christian is joy". "Amazement" before the "greatness of God", before his "love" and the "salvation" he has given to humanity, leads the believer to a joy that none of life’s crosses can tarnish, because even trials are a "certainty that Jesus is with us".(Pope Francis) Is this joy evident in our daily life? Can others see that real, inner joy reflected in our lives? Jesus is the source of that joy. It is not an emotional high, here today and gone tomorrow. It is the joy that knows who I am and whose I am. It is the joy we have seen on the faces of the little ones, the poor, the suffering, those whose crosses are indeed heavy. Their joy is contagious. This joy is our identity card that we are followers of the resurrected Christ. That is why St. Paul could exhort: "Rejoice always!"

"It is important to know when we can give attention and when we need attention. Often we are inclined to give, give, and give without ever asking anything in return. We may think that this is a sign of generosity or even heroism. But it might be little else than a proud attitude that says: "I don't need help from others. I only want to give." When we keep giving without receiving we burn out quickly. Only when we pay careful attention to our own physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs can we be, and remain, joyful givers. There is a time to give and a time to receive. We need equal time for both if we want to live healthy lives." (Henri Nouwen) It is also true to say that there is a time to love and a time to be loved. Many people are afraid of love, especially to receive love. The wounded heart says it hurts too much to allow another to love it. But can we truly give unconditional love to another if we are closed to unconditional love from the other? The door of our hearts have to swinging doors so that we can give and receive freely. Only then can our life remain balanced.

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, Mary and Lazarus lived in Bethany which was near Jerusalem. Jesus preferred to stay there rather than in Jerusalem.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."  Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening and learning from him, like a disciple. Martha was busy with the task of preparing food for Jesus and his disciples.
Maybe there was a sense of jealousy on the part of Martha.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." Jesus is not saying that Martha is not doing the right thing, but that she is anxious and worried rather than at peace with the good she was doing.
On the other hand, Mary is at peace with what she is doing.
Here we have the tension between the contemplative life (Mary) and the active life. (Martha). Both are part of the life of the disciple of Jesus and neither should be neglected.
However, Jesus indicates that contemplation is higher than the busyness of life. But even a contemplative person needs to work to provide for their needs.   
How much time do we spend at the feet of Jesus, listening to him? Maybe this week we can try to incorporate this more in our life of activity.

"He who labors as he prays lifts his heart to God with his hands. " (St. Benedict) The same thing can be said in reverse order: he who prays as he labors lifts his heart to God with his hands. How different will our life be if we can labor while in prayer, thereby making our labor our prayer. This doesn't replace quiet prayer at other times. It just allows us to be in an attitude of prayer throughout our day no matter what we are doing. This may be what St. Paul means when he says that we are called to unceasing prayer. Prayer gives heart and meaning to our day.

"Fr Junipero Serra had a motto which inspired his life and work...Siempre adelante! Keep moving forward! For him, this was the way to continue experiencing the joy of the Gospel, to keep his heart from growing numb, from being anesthetized. He kept moving forward, because the Lord was waiting. He kept going, because his brothers and sisters were waiting. He kept going forward to the end of his life. Today, like him, may we be able to say: Forward! Let's keep moving forward." (Pope Francis) What an attitude to have! It is the attitude of all successful people. Life is too short not to move forward, especially in our spiritual life. Moving forward reflects St. Augustine's famous saying: "Our hearts are restless, until they rest in you, my God." This was what motivated St. Paul as he kept his eyes on the prize, namely life with God eternally. Siempre adelante!