“I am 50.
I am loved.
I am very grateful.
Thank you very much.”
The
Story of Martha
Last Wednesday, in his homily
during the Holy Mass held at IC, Fr. Ted shared with us the story of “Martha”.
Not the biblical Martha, but a real person who lives with us in this day and
age. Another Martha, who has her own story to tell.
This Martha is in her 50s.
She lives a full life with her family. She has a good job. She’s healthy,
vibrant and energetic. At least before the accident happened.
One day, she was walking
around the mall. Walking and at the same time, busy fidgeting with her phone,
she did not notice that the floor was wet. Before she knew it, she slipped and
banged her head on something.
Martha hurt her head bad. Her
brain got affected and she had to undergo surgery. Thankfully, she survived,
but there was irreparable damage that led to her being unable to walk anymore.
Fast forward to today, Martha
has recuperated but she continues to need the wheelchair to move around.
Despite this, she continues to serve the Lord through His Church. She is
active, and she remains full of joy.
Fr. Ted said he asked her, “How do you sustain your positive outlook?
Where do you get your inner strength to continue serving?”
And Martha answered, “Father, I also have my low moments. There
was a time I almost succumbed to depression. But I remembered, God has given me
a good life. He allowed me to pick a loving and caring husband who has been faithful
and supportive, even when this accident happened. Through all this goodness, never
did I ask God, what have I done to deserve this?
Martha continued, “And then He gave me beautiful children. By
His grace, my children are all grown up now, they finished school without giving
me headaches and are now fending for themselves. Again, I never asked, ‘What
have I done to deserve this’”?
“Now that this
accident happened to me, how can I say, ‘God, how dare you give me this suffering?’
In fact, it is not even a suffering. I am still alive. I am loved. And I feel
that my disability is too minor compared to the blessings I have received in my
entire life. I may have lost my capacity to walk, but there’s still so much
that I can do. Father, I am very grateful for all that the Lord has given me,
and I will continue to thank Him by serving Him joyfully, as long as I can.”
That
day, I came out from the Mass inspired by Martha. I started counting my own
blessings, and I felt so rich.