Dear Family,

Our Lord’s mercy doesn’t always feel or look like mercy. What do I mean? Take a look at Martha in the Gospels. Our Lord’s interaction with her at times seems very similar to the way He speaks to many of the Scribes and Pharisees. Our Lord’s response to people and situations that are not whole, where there is suffering and heartache, His response is always love.

Yes, Our Lord corrects, and instructs. He heals and brings hope to those who are suffering. And many times, Our Lord invites them to change and to have faith. What is their response? Sometimes grateful and sometimes not so much. Sometimes people responded with joy and others walked away looking downcast. The Pharisees complain and conspire to kill the Lord.

Martha too experienced Our Lord’s challenging her to grow. Did she turn her back on Our Lord in anger? Remember, Our Lord told her that her efforts where not as pleasing to Him as Mary’s efforts to spend time with Him? Martha could have become resentful for Our Lord taking her sister’s side? What’s wrong with preparing the meal or being hospitable to guests? Why where Martha’s efforts considered to be “worldly duties” while Mary’s efforts were more pleasing to Our Lord?

Every day, everyone is faced with this choice – the choice to become burdened with worldly duties or do we take the time we need to sit at the feet of the Lord. We don’t find in Sacred Scripture how Martha responded to Our Lord’s challenge to her complaint in that moment. But we do know Martha’s faith was clearly where it needed to be when her brother Lazarus died. In that moment of great sorrow and distress, Martha showed the faith that she lacked before.

Martha placed her faith in Our Lord when her brother Lazarus died. Remember Our Lord’s words to her in her great sorrow. “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live… Martha do you believe this?” Martha responds, “Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God.”

St. Martha’s reactions to Our Lord in moments of disappointment, rejection, and sadness can help us to grow in holiness and trust. There are times when we don’t get our way or the response that we desire from Our Lord. There are times when you and I may turn to God in anger or frustration because we didn’t get our way. Some people may move away from God or even blame God when they go through difficult times like a job loss, a broken relationship or the loss of a loved one. Like St. Martha, do you practice your faith and make a choice to trust Our Lord even when you don’t understand?

We are all faced with many worldly obligations and duties today. The enemy works hard to fill our schedule in the hopes that we become overwhelmed or at least frustrated so that we make dumb decisions. Like Martha, each of us have or will experience loss. It may be the loss of a job, a broken relationship or the death of a loved one. I pray, each of us may follow St. Martha’s example of accepting Our Lord’s invitation to change, to have faith, to focus on what is necessary, on the better part… on Our Lord.

God Bless,

Fr. Don Kline

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