Martha’s bad rap makes us miss her valuable lesson

Pope Francis was known for using colorful images from daily life in his homilies and speeches — just like Jesus did. One vivid example comes from a conversation he had with fellow Jesuits on his September 2022 visit to Kazakhstan. His confreres asked him what was on his heart, and this led him to speak about prayer of intercession and the attitude we should have in prayer.

According to Pope Francis, we need to “arm wrestle” with God, “knocking at the heart of the Lord.”

But he also told the Jesuits that in prayer, we have to “be normal.”

The pope liked to use the word boldness in regard to prayer, and he had a Scriptural basis for it: If Abraham could argue God down from 50 to 10 — the number of innocent people for whom he’d spare the city of Sodom (Gn 18:20-32) — shouldn’t we also approach God with boldness? “Ask, ask, ask,” the pope told his brothers. “Arm wrestle.”

Jesus used several illustrations to invite us to this boldness.

“Because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me” (Lk 18:5).

“Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him” (Mt 7:9-11).

Perhaps boldness in prayer is a lesson we have yet to learn.

Continued below.