Doing the right things with the wrong heart.

Surprisingly this is probably one of the most well known Gospel passages. I even found this story in our Catholic Picture Bible. This seems strange to me. Multiplication of the loaves and fishes, of course. The Resurrection, with out a doubt! Walking on water, curing the ill, raising Lazarus, you bet! Mary and Martha, seems out of place, or does it?

Today’s Gospel gives us a glimpse into everyday home life. How many times my sons have uttered similar musings, I cannot count. Anthony will question why he is instructed to pick up toys while it appears that his brothers are playing. Christopher will demand that I instruct a brother to help him clean up the yard instead of what they are currently doing. William will complain that he is doing everything while the others loaf. This is part of family life and Jesus is in the midst of our family just the way He was in the midst of Mary and Martha.

The Martha attitude is often looked upon as someone who doesn’t know what is important in life. We are often presented with examples of Marthas in our lives who are more busy bodies than busy about the Kingdom. However, I think that the primary problem with Martha, and myself because I often imitate her instead of Mary, is that she was doing the right things with the wrong heart. Her work was important, they had to eat but we see that she wasn’t serving for the right reasons. If she was, she would not have complained. It would have been a joy to serve them all and then perhaps sit down with her sister afterwards and ask her to recount the Lord’s words.

I pray today that I will serve the Lord with joy. I pray that I will do the right things with the right heart. I pray that I will do what God commands not out of fear or grudgingly but with love. If I can do this, even in the midst of my work, family, leisure, I will be choosing the better part and nothing can take it from me.

How to get better at prayer.

Set a prayer appointment – Set a time on your calendar each day to meet and speak with God.
Slowly increase your prayer time. – Don’t jump in with an hour right from the get-go. Build up your “tolerance” so to speak.
Commit – to praying and slowly increasing your prayer time for 30 days. Mark off the days on your calendar. If you miss a day, jump right back in, don’t give up.
Pray – praying is talking to God, it’s spending time with your attention focused on Him. I enjoy spending time with my children regardless of their level of development. God is the same way. Spend time praying as best you can. Use formal prayers if you want or simply speak in conversation. Don’t forget to listen
Journal – Our newly revised 4 Simple Steps to Better Scripture Meditations: Guide, Workbook, and Journal walks you through 4 easy steps that will help you go deeper in your prayer life. It includes 31 days of workbook and journal pages too!
Read other good books about how to pray better – Prayer Primer, Deep Conversion, Deep Prayer, Time for God, The Spiritual Life: A Comprehensive Guide to Catholics Seeking Salvation.

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God bless you – Jim Hahn

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Doing the right things with the wrong heart.

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