How do you handle the stress and anxieties of life? Does it frequently overwhelm you and rob you of your peace? Martha is a character from Scripture that many can relate to. She struggled with anxiety and became overwhelmed. Dr. Edward Sri examines the stories of Martha from the Bible and reveals what we can learn from her about overcoming anxiety and finding interior peace.

Snippet from the Show
Be Mary before becoming Martha.

Quotation from Cardinal Sarah (The Power of Silence, Page 28)

In reality, Jesus seems to sketch the outlines of a spiritual pedagogy: we should always make sure to be Mary before becoming Martha. Otherwise, we run the risk of becoming literally bogged down in activism and agitation, the unpleasant consequences of which emerge in the Gospel account: panic, fear of working without help, an inattentive interior attitude, annoyance like Martha’s toward her sister, the feeling that God is leaving us alone without intervening effectively. Thus, in speaking to Martha, Jesus says: “Mary has chosen the good portion” (Luke 10:42). He reminds her of the importance of “calming and quieting the soul” (see Ps 131:2) so as to listen to one’s heart. Christ tenderly invites her to stop so as to return to her heart, the place of true welcome and the dwelling place of God’s silent terneness, from which she had been led away by the activity to which she was devoting herself so noisily. All activity must be preceded by an intense life of prayer, contemplation, seek and listening to God’s will.

Luke 10: 38-42

As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

John 11:20-27

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

Overcoming Anxiety with Martha

1. Martha learned a lesson from Mary: Put Jesus first always. Jesus must come before everything else.
2. Cultivate an interior peace throughout your day. Take time to pull back and sit in the presence of God even if just for a moment.
3. Express your trust in God. Regardless of how things are going, show total trust in God’s will. If you must, fall on your knees and say to God, “I trust in you.”
4. Surrender. Surrender everything to God: your plans, your hopes, your anxieties.

When You Pray: A Clear Path to a Deeper Relationship with God

You know prayer is important but still find it challenging. Perhaps it’s hard to find time, or you’re unsure what to do when you pray. Or maybe you feel discouraged by your weaknesses and your inability to overcome them.

If you have any of these feelings, you are not alone. Many of the saints struggled in prayer. They were like us. But each time they fell, they got up again and learned to rely more on God’s grace.

What God did in the lives of countless saints, he wants to do in the lives of ordinary people like us. And that’s what this study is about: the journey of prayer God wants to take us on.

Authored and presented by Dr. Edward Sri, When You Pray also features Fr. Jacques Philippe, Fr. Josh Johnson, Fr. Gregory Pine, Sister Josephine Garrett, Fr. Donald Haggerty, and Sister Maris Stella.

Upcoming Events with Dr. Sri

• Mar 13-14: St. Michael Catholic Church Parish Mission - St. Michael MN
• Mar 15: Bishop Lucker Lecture for Diocese of New Ulm - Redwood Falls MN
• Mar 20-21: St. Louis Catholic Church Parish Mission - Miami FL
• Apr 5-6: Diocese of Charleston Eucharistic Congress - Columbia SC
• Apr 8-11: St. Paul Center Priest Conference - Lakeway TX
• April 15: St. Joseph Catholic Church - Golden CO
• Apr 19-20: Diocesan Eucharistic Congress - Altoona-Johnstown PA
• Apr 27-May 5: Rome Pilgrimage
• May 17-18: Married Couples Retreat with Beth - Irondale AL
• June 20-23: St. Patrick Catholic Church - Summer Summit - London, England
• June 23-July 1: Rome Pilgrimage
• July 18-20: 2024 National Eucharistic Congress - Indianapolis IN
• Aug 10: Discipleship Conference - Oklahoma City OK
• Aug 23-24: Diocesan Faith Formation Conference - Tulsa OK
• Sept 13: St. Laurence Catholic Church Parish Mission - Sugarland TX
• Sept 16-18: Priest convocation - Springfield IL
• Sept 21: 2024 Annual Meeting and Investiture of the Northern Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem - Denver CO
• Oct 3 : Diocese of Harrisburg Annual Priest Workshop - Hunt Valley MD
• Oct 5: McHenry County Catholic Prayer Breakfast - Chicago IL
• Nov 16: Women of Christ 16th Annual Conference - Brookfield, WI