I remember how anxious and worried I would be over each new crisis that erupted during my divorce. After the storm passed, I would feel relieved. I would believe I had dealt with the last major problem and calm seas would now prevail. Wrong. No matter how many times I went through the same cycle, my level of anxiety and worry never lessened. I was always a nervous wreck.
One day in Mass, the Gospel reading was about Mary and Martha. Martha was anxious and worried about having to do all the entertaining and serving for Jesus and His guests (can you imagine the pressure?!), while her sister, Mary, sat obliviously at Jesus’s feet listening to Him teach. I could definitely relate to Martha. My life was filled with anxiety and worry while everyone around me seemed to be skipping through life, humming a tune, oblivious to my pain and hardship. It didn’t seem fair. Martha asked Jesus to talk to her sister and tell her to get up and help. Jesus’s response to Martha hit me like a ton of bricks. He told her not to worry or be anxious and instead to follow her sister’s example. Mary had chosen to focus on Christ. There was my solution to overcoming my anxiety and worry. I needed to focus more on Jesus and trust in Him. He promises by doing that, everything else will fall into place. So, there you have it. When you are anxious and worried, sit at Jesus’s feet in Mass, adoration, reading scripture, and in prayer. He is the only thing you need to deal with life’s challenges and hardships.
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.” – Luke 10:41-42
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.” – Luke 10:41-42
Originally posted 2014-07-02 06:00:07.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.