Daily Thought For July 29, 2020

-
St. Martha & The Joy of Coming To Faith

When we first think of St. Martha, we probably remember the story of hardworking Martha and her “contemplative” sister, Mary, who didn’t help her in the kitchen (Luke 10:38-42). Many of us probably have felt sorry for Martha when Jesus rebuked her.

But today, on Martha’s feast day, we read a different story. We don’t see busy Martha, complaining Martha, or worried and anxious Martha. We see steady Martha, who has the confidence to go out to meet Jesus and proclaim her faith in him—even in her grief. Martha has changed.

But how did this happen? She has “come to believe” (John 11:27). And so can we.

Martha’s faith was not a one-time event but a progressive growth in understanding of who Jesus was and what it meant to trust him. In this situation with her brother’s illness and death, Martha’s faith grew gradually as she spoke with Jesus and listened to him carefully. She knew that he was the Savior sent into this world. She trusted that he could heal their ailing brother, but she didn’t understand why Jesus deliberately delayed his coming. So she brought her confusion to him.

Martha knew that Lazarus would rise on the last day, but she wasn’t sure what Jesus might do “even now” (John 11:22). She just wanted to be near him. So Jesus took the opportunity to speak with her, patiently asking questions that helped her to search her heart. And perhaps amazed herself, she was able to say, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe” (11:27). Then she ran to offer her sister the same opportunity.

Our faith develops in the same incremental way. Jesus invites us to trust him. We express the little faith we have: “I do believe, help my unbelief,” and we tell Jesus what we don’t understand (Mark 9:24). Then he leads us little by little to a fuller understanding of who he is.

Don’t be afraid to question Jesus. Tell him what doesn’t make sense to you. Ask what small step he is inviting you to take, and try to be obedient. Then come back and ask again. Little by little, your flicker of faith will grow into a blazing fire.

“Jesus, I have come to believe in you. Help me to take the next step.”

from The Word Among Us (July 29, 2017) 

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Thought For October 23, 2022

-
  Powerful Reflection from The Word Among Us Let’s not get off on the wrong foot with the Pharisee in this parable. He seemed to be doing pretty well spiritually. He was not greedy, dishonest, or adulterous. He fasted twice a week and went so far as to pay tithes on all his income. He prayed at the Temple regularly. That was better than most people. So why did Jesus say he didn’t go home justified? Because the Temple was a place of encounter with God. A holy location where God and his children came together. This Pharisee seemed to be missing that connection with the Lord. Instead of speaking his prayer to God, he prayed “to himself” (Luke 18:11) and itemized his accomplishments. By focusing on his righteous acts, he was not really making himself present to God. He wasn’t inviting God to be present to him either. So he missed the chance to encounter God and receive his mercy and grace. In that sense, the Pharisee left the Temple basically the same way he had entered. The tax collector,
Read more

Daily Thought For May 12, 2016

-
With God Setbacks Become Opportunities EVERY TIME something thwarts your plans or desires, use that as a reminder to communicate with Me. This practice has several benefits. The first is obvious: Talking with Me blesses you and strengthens our relationship. Another benefit is that disappointments, instead of dragging you down, are transformed into opportunities for good. This transformation removes the sting from difficult circumstances, making it possible to be joyful in the midst of adversity.  Begin by practicing this discipline in all the little disappointments of daily life. It is often these minor setbacks that draw you away from My Presence. When you reframe setbacks as opportunities, you find that you gain much more than you have lost. It is only after much training that you can accept major losses in this positive way. But it is possible to attain the perspective of the apostle Paul, who wrote:  Compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus, I consider eve
Read more