Collect taken from the feast of St. Martha, virgin.
Collect: Almighty ever-living God, whose Son was pleased to be welcomed in Saint Martha’s house as a guest, grant, we pray, that through her intercession, serving Christ faithfully in our brothers and sisters, we may merit to be received by you in the halls of heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son…
“Almighty ever-living God, whose Son was pleased to be welcomed in Saint Martha’s house as a guest,”
– We begin with awe at the humility of God’s decision to become the guest of a mere human being.
“grant, we pray, that through her intercession, serving Christ faithfully in our brothers and sisters, we may merit to be received by you in the halls of heaven.”
– Then, we ask for the grace to follow Martha’s example and Christ’s clear teaching, which is that we serve Jesus in serving others, particularly the least among us. This request goes on to ask that, as an abundant and generous reward, the Lord will crown his grace of service with the grace of salvation and being received into heaven.
Questions & Advice: Do you practice hospitality and joyful service? How often do you recall Christ’s promise concerning the least among us? Who are the weakest and the least in your life?
Read and reflect on the importance of hospitality. Spend some of your daily prayer time reflecting on who in your life is in need of hospitality and who is the least. If you can, consider volunteering some of your time today or making a donation to organizations that show hospitality to the poor.
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| Sancta Martha, ora pro nobis! |