July 29. St Martha.  The women of St Anne often reflected on this issue. “It seems that St Martha, the happy housekeeper, has somewhat of a bad name, maybe because Jesus said that her sister Mary who sat at his feet listening to him had chosen the better part.  But many of us Martha’s feel fulfilled doing what we do.   There can even be between the different sodalities competition to do the most “charitable work.”  There are many of us, in the church and volunteer projects and in our families, good women, often older women,  who cook and bake and clean and sew.   We all agree those are important and very necessary tasks.  And yet it still seems as if Jesus put a higher value on non-material things. But he did enjoy meals with different people too. How can we find the balance? “

Scripture: A woman name Martha welcomed Jesus into her house.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the feet of the Lord and listened to him. Now Martha who was distracted with all the serving said, “Lord do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself?   Please tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered, “Martha, Martha you worry and fret about so many things and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better, part. It is not to be taken from her.”  Luke 10:38-42  Pope Francis. Listening to the elderly tell their stories is good for children and young people, it makes them feel connected to the living history of their families. AL 193.   JUBILEE/DN 31 The Second Vatican Council teaches that, “every one of us needs a change of heart; we must set our gaze on the whole world and look to those tasks we can all perform together in order to bring about the betterment of our race”. For “the imbalances affecting the world today are in fact a symptom of a deeper imbalance rooted in the human hear] In pondering the tragedies afflicting our world, the Council urges us to return to the heart. It explains that human beings “by their interior life, transcend the entire material universe; they experience this deep interiority when they enter into their own heart, where God, who probes the heart, awaits them, and where they decide their own destiny in the sight of God”.  Act and pray. To listen to the calling in our own hearts about the needs of families, especially grandparents and the elderly.