My Monologues 3
My Monologues with Martha
(Lk10, Jn11 & 12)
Dear Martha, you must have felt miserable when you heard,
“Martha, Martha! You are worried and troubled over so many things, but just one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the right thing, and it will not be taken away from her.”
These cut and dry words from your Lord and Family-friend must have been a rude shock to you, right?
No one shall ever know what exactly you had have felt.
One can only guess!
And let me take a guess.
Martha, you might have thought and felt something like the following...
“How could my Lord and our family friend ever say such a thing to me?
Couldn’t He see me working all by myself?
He must have known for whom I have been working for.
Sure, He is right, I was worried and troubled.
But, for whom was I worrying, except for Him.
I wanted to provide Him with a good meal as He could have been exhausted after a tedious and tiring travel.
What is wrong with that? Was I not doing the duty of a good host?
I wanted to do it for Him as I love Him and hold Him in high esteem.
If my sister too were to come and give me a helping hand, the meal would have been ready much faster, right?
That’s all I wanted!!
I thought she would realize it on her own and would come to help me.
When that didn’t happen, sure, I complained.
I thought, at least the Lord would sense it and send my sister to help me.
When this too didn’t happen, I did complain.
I felt hurt, I felt ignored, I felt left out, and I felt abandoned.
I even felt dumped!
I thought my Lord and friend would defend me, stand by me, reassure me, and even say a sorry!
That would have made me happy.
But nothing of this sort happened.
It pained me much!”
Martha, you might have gone through something like the above lines, right?
Martha, the Lord’s rebuke puzzles and provides no satisfactory answer.
The whole episode abruptly ends.
The evangelist stops there all on a sudden.
Strange!
Martha, I am curious to know, as what really happened after His hurting words?
Did He get up walk away?
Did you go back to the kitchen and continue to prepare the meals, anyway?
Did Jesus eat at all?
Did you have fight later on with Mary, your sister?
What was the rest of the day like?
I am sure, it was not end of it all.
It was not the end of your friendship with Jesus, not at all.
Because, He visited you again and again, right?
Remember, you sent word to Him, “Lord, your dear friend is ill.”
And He came, though late.
And He brought your brother, the dead and buried Lazarus, back to life, right?
Martha, you talked with Him.
Martha, you took Him to the tomb.
Martha, you even held a conversation with Him about Resurrection, right?
He came again for the dinner,right, Martha?
You, your sister, Mary, Lazarus, and many others, including Judas, were there, right?
It shows that you never broke up with Him over His hurting rebuke, right, Martha?
After turning down your request and after the seemingly harsh put down, you both must have talked, right?
I don’t know who of you took the initiative, you or He.
It matters little.
You both must have had a free, frank, heart to heart talk, right?
After the heart to heart talk you must have felt much better, right?
Again, right or wrong, permit me to conjecture.
Did the Lord say to you something like the following lines?
“Martha, I know you are hurt, deeply hurt when I refused your request and send Mary to help you with the work in the kitchen.
More than that, you must have felt horrible when I preferred what Mary had been doing, right, Martha?
Martha, I know you had been working hard so as to get a good meal ready for me at the earliest, right?
I know for certain that you like me a lot and you love me.
I know you love me dearly, and ready to work hard to make my visit as comfortable and happy as possible.
Martha, I want you to know that I value your friendship, your commitment and your dedication.
Martha, your love for me means much to me.
Thank you, Martha!
Martha, most probably, you might have thought that I like your sister more and I prefer her company, right, Martha?
Martha, probably, you are justified in thinking so.
Now let me explain to you, Martha.
As soon as I entered your house,
if only you had asked me,
What would I need or want, or like to have: anything to drink or to eat?
You could have asked me whether I am thirsty or am hungry?
I would have told you, No Thanks.
I am OK. I am just fine..
I would have told you to come and sit, let’s chat a while and then we could have something to munch, OK?
I would have invited you to come and sit along with Mary…
Somehow your sister picked up what I needed and she sat by.
Martha, I didn’t have a chance to tell you that I don’t need anything to drink or eat.
As soon as you saw me, you rushed to the kitchen, right, Martha?
Martha, you took it for granted that what I need is a good meal.
Martha, you presumed that I am hungry and thirsty, right?
Martha, you went straight into the kitchen and got bogged down in work, right, Martha?
Then all on a sudden, you felt, ignored, neglected, and left in the lurch, right, Martha?
Then fretting and fuming, you throw up all the complaints, right, Martha?
Martha, I want you to ask yourself, “Am I happy as I work hard?”
Martha, you have a right to be happy as you work hard.
Martha, remember you went to work on your own, willingly and voluntarily.
But you find yourself unhappy and unappreciated despite your hard work.
Knowingly or not, many behave as you do.
Many work real hard and yet unhappy.
Martha, you are a very hardworking host.
Martha, you are a very, very caring friend.
Martha, you are a very outgoing and very sociable person.
Martha, you are very outspoken.
Martha, you are sincere.
These are some of the fine qualities you have and you share.
Martha, before you jump into action, if only you could pause and have the patience to ask and to seek the opinion of the persons concerned, and to consult, much of your heartbreaks and unhappiness could be avoided, right?
Before running to the kitchen, had you asked me, you would not have been upset now.
Martha, you expect everyone else to think as you think, to do as you do, right?
Most of the time, Martha, you call the tune, you set the tone and you fix the agenda, right?
When that doesn’t happen you fret and fume, and keep blaming everyone else except yourself, right, Martha?
Martha, it must be said to your credit that did not keep complaining and did not go on nagging!”
Martha, your Lord might have talked to you something similar to above lines, right?
As I said earlier, no one knows what transpired between you and your Lord.
But you became a changed person!
The fact is you never complained the next time you prepared a meal for the Lord and for many others when they were all there after the raising of Lazarus.
Once again Mary, your sister, sat by the Lord and even anointed Him, while you were busy in getting the meal ready.
Your sister never came to help you.
And above all, this time you never complained, right, Martha?
You never felt abandoned and let down.
You were happily working, right, Martha?
This time, it was a different Martha, a changed Martha, a grown up Martha, an accepting Martha, an accommodating, Martha, right?
When you and the Lord spent time together clearing all confusion,
Martha, you became a new person.
Martha, you acquired a new outlook.
You were hardworking as well as happy, right, Martha?
Martha, even if it was for a sort of reprimanding, Martha, did you notice that as i called you out by name, I repeated your.. twice, right?
Martha, let me tell you something, except your name, I never ever called a female by repeating her name twice!
Martha! Martha!
Calling you by repeating your name was one of My ways of showing affection, don’t you get it, Martha?
You make me happy as I see you growing by leaps and bounds!
Great indeed, Martha, Martha!”
Martha, may something on the similar lines, the Lord talked, right?
It's only my guess!
Now,
Looking at my life, in similar situations, I would have kept on nagging.
Whenever I didn’t have it my way as a child, I used throw temper tantrums.
Whenever my friends did not agree with my suggestions, I used to go on yelling.
Whenever I didn’t get what I wanted as a seminarian, I used to go onsulking.
Whenever I felt ignored as a priest, I used go around pulling a long face and make it known that I am unhappy.
Many a time, that was me, Martha!
Martha, how quickly you learned and changed!
Unlike you, I need more time and more personal effort to change my attitudes and my outlook towards myself and towards others.
Martha, let your story of growth continue to inspire me.
Jesus, my Lord, though Your refusal of Martha’s seemingly reasonable request caused her pain, You meant well for her, didn’t You?
Lord, whenever I am in similar situation,
Whenever my requests and wishes are not granted,
Help me, Lord, to face the pain and live it.
Lord, You know, how often I worry too much and am anxious even more than Martha.
As I look back to my seminary days, many a times I was a bundle of nervous wreck.
Whenever I didn’t get the attention and appreciation which I yearned for, I used to either keep on nagging or mumbling or used to keep mum.
Often enough, I had a highly exaggerated need to be accepted and had unreal fear of being abandoned.
Lord, for the last seventy years or so,You have been putting up with me for all my whining.
Lord, thank you for Your immense patience with me.
Though I behave a bit better, I do still suffer from these, worries, anxieties, and fears.
Help me, Lord, to take them as part of my Growing Pains!
After having had my Monologues with Martha and with You,
Lord, I want to spend some time in silence and listen to both of you.
Martha, I want to walk with you and learn from you.
I want to walk with you to Resurrection and Life.
Do keep talking to me, Martha!
Lord, let me remain in Your Presence, in silence,......
“Speak Lord your servant is listening.”
Amen
JoAchen
July 28, 2014 in honor of Martha as her feast is on July 29th
PS
These Reflections are neither pure exegetical interpretations nor highly theological explanations. They are my devotional meditations mainly meant for my personal renewal and spiritual growth and thereby helping me to come closer to my God and to my fellow humans.
Thank you for reading them.
As I keep holding you in my daily prayers, I request you to include me in yours.
Thank you,
JoAchen
My Monologues with Martha
(Lk10, Jn11 & 12)
Dear Martha, you must have felt miserable when you heard,
“Martha, Martha! You are worried and troubled over so many things, but just one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the right thing, and it will not be taken away from her.”
These cut and dry words from your Lord and Family-friend must have been a rude shock to you, right?
No one shall ever know what exactly you had have felt.
One can only guess!
And let me take a guess.
Martha, you might have thought and felt something like the following...
“How could my Lord and our family friend ever say such a thing to me?
Couldn’t He see me working all by myself?
He must have known for whom I have been working for.
Sure, He is right, I was worried and troubled.
But, for whom was I worrying, except for Him.
I wanted to provide Him with a good meal as He could have been exhausted after a tedious and tiring travel.
What is wrong with that? Was I not doing the duty of a good host?
I wanted to do it for Him as I love Him and hold Him in high esteem.
If my sister too were to come and give me a helping hand, the meal would have been ready much faster, right?
That’s all I wanted!!
I thought she would realize it on her own and would come to help me.
When that didn’t happen, sure, I complained.
I thought, at least the Lord would sense it and send my sister to help me.
When this too didn’t happen, I did complain.
I felt hurt, I felt ignored, I felt left out, and I felt abandoned.
I even felt dumped!
I thought my Lord and friend would defend me, stand by me, reassure me, and even say a sorry!
That would have made me happy.
But nothing of this sort happened.
It pained me much!”
Martha, you might have gone through something like the above lines, right?
Martha, the Lord’s rebuke puzzles and provides no satisfactory answer.
The whole episode abruptly ends.
The evangelist stops there all on a sudden.
Strange!
Martha, I am curious to know, as what really happened after His hurting words?
Did He get up walk away?
Did you go back to the kitchen and continue to prepare the meals, anyway?
Did Jesus eat at all?
Did you have fight later on with Mary, your sister?
What was the rest of the day like?
I am sure, it was not end of it all.
It was not the end of your friendship with Jesus, not at all.
Because, He visited you again and again, right?
Remember, you sent word to Him, “Lord, your dear friend is ill.”
And He came, though late.
And He brought your brother, the dead and buried Lazarus, back to life, right?
Martha, you talked with Him.
Martha, you took Him to the tomb.
Martha, you even held a conversation with Him about Resurrection, right?
He came again for the dinner,right, Martha?
You, your sister, Mary, Lazarus, and many others, including Judas, were there, right?
It shows that you never broke up with Him over His hurting rebuke, right, Martha?
After turning down your request and after the seemingly harsh put down, you both must have talked, right?
I don’t know who of you took the initiative, you or He.
It matters little.
You both must have had a free, frank, heart to heart talk, right?
After the heart to heart talk you must have felt much better, right?
Again, right or wrong, permit me to conjecture.
Did the Lord say to you something like the following lines?
“Martha, I know you are hurt, deeply hurt when I refused your request and send Mary to help you with the work in the kitchen.
More than that, you must have felt horrible when I preferred what Mary had been doing, right, Martha?
Martha, I know you had been working hard so as to get a good meal ready for me at the earliest, right?
I know for certain that you like me a lot and you love me.
I know you love me dearly, and ready to work hard to make my visit as comfortable and happy as possible.
Martha, I want you to know that I value your friendship, your commitment and your dedication.
Martha, your love for me means much to me.
Thank you, Martha!
Martha, most probably, you might have thought that I like your sister more and I prefer her company, right, Martha?
Martha, probably, you are justified in thinking so.
Now let me explain to you, Martha.
As soon as I entered your house,
if only you had asked me,
What would I need or want, or like to have: anything to drink or to eat?
You could have asked me whether I am thirsty or am hungry?
I would have told you, No Thanks.
I am OK. I am just fine..
I would have told you to come and sit, let’s chat a while and then we could have something to munch, OK?
I would have invited you to come and sit along with Mary…
Somehow your sister picked up what I needed and she sat by.
Martha, I didn’t have a chance to tell you that I don’t need anything to drink or eat.
As soon as you saw me, you rushed to the kitchen, right, Martha?
Martha, you took it for granted that what I need is a good meal.
Martha, you presumed that I am hungry and thirsty, right?
Martha, you went straight into the kitchen and got bogged down in work, right, Martha?
Then all on a sudden, you felt, ignored, neglected, and left in the lurch, right, Martha?
Then fretting and fuming, you throw up all the complaints, right, Martha?
Martha, I want you to ask yourself, “Am I happy as I work hard?”
Martha, you have a right to be happy as you work hard.
Martha, remember you went to work on your own, willingly and voluntarily.
But you find yourself unhappy and unappreciated despite your hard work.
Knowingly or not, many behave as you do.
Many work real hard and yet unhappy.
Martha, you are a very hardworking host.
Martha, you are a very, very caring friend.
Martha, you are a very outgoing and very sociable person.
Martha, you are very outspoken.
Martha, you are sincere.
These are some of the fine qualities you have and you share.
Martha, before you jump into action, if only you could pause and have the patience to ask and to seek the opinion of the persons concerned, and to consult, much of your heartbreaks and unhappiness could be avoided, right?
Before running to the kitchen, had you asked me, you would not have been upset now.
Martha, you expect everyone else to think as you think, to do as you do, right?
Most of the time, Martha, you call the tune, you set the tone and you fix the agenda, right?
When that doesn’t happen you fret and fume, and keep blaming everyone else except yourself, right, Martha?
Martha, it must be said to your credit that did not keep complaining and did not go on nagging!”
Martha, your Lord might have talked to you something similar to above lines, right?
As I said earlier, no one knows what transpired between you and your Lord.
But you became a changed person!
The fact is you never complained the next time you prepared a meal for the Lord and for many others when they were all there after the raising of Lazarus.
Once again Mary, your sister, sat by the Lord and even anointed Him, while you were busy in getting the meal ready.
Your sister never came to help you.
And above all, this time you never complained, right, Martha?
You never felt abandoned and let down.
You were happily working, right, Martha?
This time, it was a different Martha, a changed Martha, a grown up Martha, an accepting Martha, an accommodating, Martha, right?
When you and the Lord spent time together clearing all confusion,
Martha, you became a new person.
Martha, you acquired a new outlook.
You were hardworking as well as happy, right, Martha?
Martha, even if it was for a sort of reprimanding, Martha, did you notice that as i called you out by name, I repeated your.. twice, right?
Martha, let me tell you something, except your name, I never ever called a female by repeating her name twice!
Martha! Martha!
Calling you by repeating your name was one of My ways of showing affection, don’t you get it, Martha?
You make me happy as I see you growing by leaps and bounds!
Great indeed, Martha, Martha!”
Martha, may something on the similar lines, the Lord talked, right?
It's only my guess!
Now,
Looking at my life, in similar situations, I would have kept on nagging.
Whenever I didn’t have it my way as a child, I used throw temper tantrums.
Whenever my friends did not agree with my suggestions, I used to go on yelling.
Whenever I didn’t get what I wanted as a seminarian, I used to go onsulking.
Whenever I felt ignored as a priest, I used go around pulling a long face and make it known that I am unhappy.
Many a time, that was me, Martha!
Martha, how quickly you learned and changed!
Unlike you, I need more time and more personal effort to change my attitudes and my outlook towards myself and towards others.
Martha, let your story of growth continue to inspire me.
Jesus, my Lord, though Your refusal of Martha’s seemingly reasonable request caused her pain, You meant well for her, didn’t You?
Lord, whenever I am in similar situation,
Whenever my requests and wishes are not granted,
Help me, Lord, to face the pain and live it.
Lord, You know, how often I worry too much and am anxious even more than Martha.
As I look back to my seminary days, many a times I was a bundle of nervous wreck.
Whenever I didn’t get the attention and appreciation which I yearned for, I used to either keep on nagging or mumbling or used to keep mum.
Often enough, I had a highly exaggerated need to be accepted and had unreal fear of being abandoned.
Lord, for the last seventy years or so,You have been putting up with me for all my whining.
Lord, thank you for Your immense patience with me.
Though I behave a bit better, I do still suffer from these, worries, anxieties, and fears.
Help me, Lord, to take them as part of my Growing Pains!
After having had my Monologues with Martha and with You,
Lord, I want to spend some time in silence and listen to both of you.
Martha, I want to walk with you and learn from you.
I want to walk with you to Resurrection and Life.
Do keep talking to me, Martha!
Lord, let me remain in Your Presence, in silence,......
“Speak Lord your servant is listening.”
Amen
JoAchen
July 28, 2014 in honor of Martha as her feast is on July 29th
PS
These Reflections are neither pure exegetical interpretations nor highly theological explanations. They are my devotional meditations mainly meant for my personal renewal and spiritual growth and thereby helping me to come closer to my God and to my fellow humans.
Thank you for reading them.
As I keep holding you in my daily prayers, I request you to include me in yours.
Thank you,
JoAchen
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