GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Friday - July 29, 2022

Friday - July 29, 2022

Those who imagine they can attain to holiness by any wisdom or strength of their own will find themselves after many labors, and struggles, and weary efforts, only the farther from possessing it, and this in proportion to their certainty that they of themselves have gained it.

~~St. John of Avila

July 29, 2022

MEMORIAL OF SAINTS MARTHA, MARY, AND LAZARUS

Lectionary: 405/607

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Jer 26:1-9

 

In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim,

son of Josiah, king of Judah,

this message came from the LORD:

Thus says the LORD:

Stand in the court of the house of the LORD

and speak to the people of all the cities of Judah

who come to worship in the house of the LORD;

whatever I command you, tell them, and omit nothing.

Perhaps they will listen and turn back,

each from his evil way,

so that I may repent of the evil I have planned to inflict upon them

for their evil deeds.

Say to them:  Thus says the LORD:

If you disobey me,

not living according to the law I placed before you

and not listening to the words of my servants the prophets,

whom I send you constantly though you do not obey them,

I will treat this house like Shiloh,

and make this the city to which all the nations of the earth

shall refer when cursing another.

 

Now the priests, the prophets, and all the people

heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the LORD.

When Jeremiah finished speaking

all that the LORD bade him speak to all the people,

the priests and prophets laid hold of him, crying,

“You must be put to death!

Why do you prophesy in the name of the LORD:

‘This house shall be like Shiloh,’ and

‘This city shall be desolate and deserted’?”

And all the people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  69:5, 8-10, 14

 

R.        (14c)  Lord, in your great love, answer me.

 

Those outnumber the hairs of my head

who hate me without cause.

Too many for my strength

are they who wrongfully are my enemies.

Must I restore what I did not steal?

R.        Lord, in your great love, answer me.

Since for your sake I bear insult,

and shame covers my face.

I have become an outcast to my brothers,

a stranger to my mother’s sons,

Because zeal for your house consumes me,

and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.

R.        Lord, in your great love, answer me.

But I pray to you, O LORD,

for the time of your favor, O God!

In your great kindness answer me

with your constant help.

R.        Lord, in your great love, answer me.

 

 

Alleluia                                              Phil 2 Jn 8:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;

whoever follows me will have the light of life.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           Jn 11:19-27

 

Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary

to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died].

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,

she went to meet him;

but Mary sat at home.

Martha said to Jesus,

“Lord, if you had been here,

my brother would not have died.

But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,

God will give you.”

Jesus said to her,

“Your brother will rise.”

Martha said to him,

“I know he will rise,

in the resurrection on the last day.”

Jesus told her,

“I am the resurrection and the life;

whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,

and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

Do you believe this?”

She said to him, “Yes, Lord.

I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,

the one who is coming into the world.”

 

OR:

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.”

 

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PROACTIVE PRAYER AND CONTEMPLATIVE LISTENING    

The sisters Martha and Mary had two different ways of seeking help from Jesus. Martha was proactive: She told Jesus exactly what she wanted from him, which bad situation needed to be corrected and who should be healed. And Mary was contemplative: She quietly listened.

In one of today's options for the Gospel reading (John 11:19-27), Jesus arrives after Lazarus has died. Martha hurries out to Jesus to tell him in no uncertain terms that her brother's life could have been spared if only he had come sooner. Mary, however, stays home.

In the other option for today's Gospel reading (Luke 10:38-42), Martha is being a good hostess. She takes care of everyone as a kindness, a gift for Jesus, while Mary sits at his feet to learn from him. Martha the doer tells him that she needs help and Mary isn't doing her fair share.

Speaking to God about injustices, telling him our needs, and asking for his help is right and good. But when the asking comes with the implication that God doesn't already understand the situation, we're being anxious like Martha. When we think God is late, we're not trusting him. When we pray repeatedly and persistently in an ongoing state of worry, it's time to sit still and listen, like the quiet Mary.

Notice what Martha did after she made her demands. She, too, listened. And then she realized that Jesus understood much more of the situation than she ever could.

During the intercessory prayers of Mass when we say, "Lord hear our prayer" or "Hear us, O Lord," I feel like I'm telling God to listen, as if he wasn't already. In truth, he's trying to get me to listen. He never stops listening and caring. He knows our needs long before we begin to ask. We need to remember that "Lord hear our prayer" really means "Lord, receive this gift of prayer. Thank you for hearing us. Help us to hear your reply."

Anxiety and worry lead to: "God isn't convinced yet, so I have to keep begging, and if he doesn't act fast enough, oops, too late, Lazarus died." Look at the confidence Jesus tried to instill in Martha when he arrived four days late. Look at the loving way he handled her anxiety, and see him treating you the same way.

God is never late! His timing is always perfect. His answers to our prayers are always exactly when and what is best and most loving. To calm down and rest in this truth, we have to sit still and listen in quiet awareness of God's goodness.

Hush .......... Sit still ........... Listen .......... He's here! ..............................

Today's Prayer

Lord, increase my faith and help me to cling to it during trials. Amen.

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God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”