Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It is not that Martha is bad and Mary is good. We all need to serve in one way or another. Martha was distracted and judging her sister rather than looking at herself and at the Lord. How often we fall into that trap: the other has it better than me, we think and we say this constantly. It’s much harder to look at myself and to find the beam in my own eye.
The gospel is an invitation to pray, to focus our attention on the one thing that is crucial: the Lord. To do so at least on Sundays with the family and at the start of each day for five minutes in our room or the patio and other moments of the day.
I heard recently of a study on the effects of pornography, especially on the youth, done in Steubenville, OH, (I will send the link). Aside from the inability to ever erase these images, porn has a strong effect on the brain and one’s ability to concentrate. This can be noticed very easily today. Only the grace of God, the sacraments and a lot of self-mastery can help people.
Let’s start in small ways to deny ourselves by leaving our phones, social media, eyeglasses, etc. in the the kitchen or away from us each day. To put on ‘blinders’ when we go outside and not look at every Tesla or bikini we see. To focus our attention on Jesus Christ at least some time each day!