July 29, Friday, Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, Memorial
Daily readings: Jeremiah 26:1-9; Luke 10:38-42
Amidst all the distractions, we must spend time sitting at the feet of the Lord because life often gives us second chances
Bethany, the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, is the third home of Jesus. We come across the day's saints in Luke 10 and John 11.
Martha gives us three life lessons.
(i) To be is to be hospitable. Hospitality primarily means sharing my place with someone else. A generous heart alone can extend a human hand. Martha welcomes Jesus to her home.
(ii) To profess that Jesus is the life. At the burial site of Lazarus, Martha makes a profound profession of faith. Even amidst despair, Martha could keep the light of faith burning.
(iii) Being realistic. When Jesus wanted the tombstone removed, Martha said it would stink. She accepted life as it was, with its stink and deformities. Mary of Bethany is there to help us prioritize our lives: To be is to sit at the feet of the Lord. This is the only thing necessary (unum necessarium).
During his resuscitation, Lazarus is given a second chance to live. We all have two lives: the first begins in our mother's womb, and the second begins when we realize that we have but one life.
The world today replaces hospitality with privacy. The guests are seen as intruders to our privacy. We lose hope when the realities around us are alarming. We lose sight of God.
Let's consider the following questions: Do we welcome Jesus home? Do we sit at his feet to listen to him? And do we celebrate second chances in life?
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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