This Month's Challenge
July 2019
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.” (Gospel for July 21, Lk 10:41-42)
Imagine yourself in Martha’s shoes. While your seemingly lazy sister Mary sits at the feet of Jesus, you are the one preparing and serving the food, setting the table and making things happen. And then, all of a sudden, Jesus chides you and compares you unfavorably to your sister. Jesus’ words can strike us as harsh. Wasn’t Martha doing a good thing by serving our Lord? Yet if we are honest, we recognize that it’s all too easy to get caught up in busyness doing good things and all the while miss the opportunity to encounter Christ. By God’s grace, may we hear these tough words from Jesus, resist this tendency to busyness and strive to choose “the better part.”
Challenge by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori:
This month, I challenge you to spend five extra minutes sitting before the Lord before or after Sunday Mass. Second, I challenge you to participate in the Faith in Action Sacramental Gifts program or pray for those receiving the sacraments, that they might choose “the better part.”
Questions for Reflection:
If it were you with Jesus that evening, would you have been more likely to be a “Martha” or a “Mary”? What does it mean to choose “the better part”? How did spending a few extra moments with the Lord before or after Mass affect your encounter with Christ in the Eucharist?
Previous Challenges
Instructions
The Supreme Chaplain’s Monthly Challenge for the month will be available in a number of places:
- kofc.org/challenge
- Columbia
- Knightline
- Chaplain's Report
- Knights of Columbus social media
- Monthly email to Grand Knight and Chaplain
To conduct the Supreme Chaplain’s Monthly Challenge, during a Knights of Columbus meeting (ideally during the Chaplain's Message or the Grand Knight's Report) or other gathering:
1) Open with the Sign of the Cross and perhaps a brief prayer.
Example Opening Prayer: Come Holy Spirit. We thank you for guiding our lives and pray that we may have the courage exemplified by Venerable Fr. McGivney to live our faith to the fullest through our council, our families and in society. May our words today give glory to your Sacred Heart and if we struggled this past month in living our faith, help us to never stop turning to you and always try again.
2) Re-read the Supreme Chaplain's Monthly Challenge from the previous month.
3) Open the floor for discussion on what it was like to try and live last month's challenge. Every month has a number of Questions for Reflection that may help facilitate discussion. Don't worry about what order the men speak in or if there is silence in between men speaking. Not everyone has to speak and it is not a problem if the discussion is brief. Men are welcome to comment on others’ contribution to the discourse.
4) When finished, read the Supreme Chaplain's Monthly Challenge for the next month.
5) End by asking if there are any intentions and close with prayer and the Sign of the Cross.
Example Closing Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time together with our brothers. We ask you to have mercy on all those people and intentions we prayed for. Give us the perseverance to live next month's challenge and to remember that we are united with our brother Knights around the world in doing so.
