St Andrew

St. Andrew was a native of Bethsaida, a town in Galilee, upon the banks of lake Genesareth. He was the son of Jonas, or John, a fisherman, and the brother of Simon Peter. Unfortunately the bible does not enlighten us as to which was the eldest. Though different accounts are given in the bible as to how Andrew first  encountered Jesus  St. John tells us that St. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist and he listened and learnt from St.John. It was by the shores of the lake that St. John revealed to them that Jesus was the “Christ”, “The Lamb of of God,” immediately Andrew and another disciple got up and followed Jesus desiring to get to know him. According to St. Austin they spent the last bit of that day and all the next night with Jesus, know doubt asking questions and finding out who he was. The next morning Andrew rushes to find his brother telling him to come “we have found the Messiah”.  It seems Andrew was like an excited school boy who had suddenly found some great treasure. After spending this time with Jesus  his  deepest  desire was to bring his closest friend, his brother to meet him. What a great grace that must have been. And, what of us are we not called to do the same. After we have encountered Christ should we not long to bring others to know the one true Lord. So often it is through our love and friendship that we are able to lead others to Christ. To accept God’s call to live as one of his most intimate friends is the greatest grace anyone can receive. And the day we make the decision to accept that call is one that can so often be sketched on our hearts forever.

Andrew accompanies Jesus throughout his public ministry. After the death of Jesus he sets out and travels to Scythia, Greece and Turkey. Here he eventually meets his martyrdom. Tradition recalls how St. Andrew died praising the cross of his crucifixion which was

in an X shape because it was going to take him to be with his Lord, Oh that we can face our own deaths with the same desire. 

On this feast day we can start to pray the St. Andrew Christmas novena. Now I know a novena is normally nine days but the term can sometimes be used for any prayer which is said over a number of days.  The prayer is said 15 times each day. It doesn't have to be said all at once but can be recited over the whole day. We don't actually make a request of St.Andrew in the prayer but petition God Himself asking him to grant our request in honour of his Sons birth.  The novena finishes on Christmas Eve.

                                             “Hail and Blessed be the hour and moment 

                                              in which the son of God was born the most

                                             pure virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem,

                                             in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe,

                                            O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my

                                            desires, through the merits of Our saviour 

                                            Jesus Christ, and of his Blessed Mother.

                                                                     Amen"

Today is a good day to eat fish in honour of this fisherman who had the courage to get up and leave his nets behind to become “fishers of men.” Maybe a lovely warming fish pie! Don't forget to pray today for all fishermen and those who make their livelihoods by the sea. Especially for those fishermen who will be away from their families for Christmas.


St. Andrew's Fish Pie
Serves 6

• 1kg peeled and halved sweet potatoes
• knob of butter
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
• splash of milk
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
• 25g butter
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
• 25g flour
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
• 4 spring onions
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  , finely sliced
• 400ml milk
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
• 2 x pack fish pie mix (cod, salmon, smoked haddock etc, weight around 320g-400g depending on pack size) 
• 1x bag of frozen prawns
• 1 tsp Dijon or English mustard
• ½ a 25g pack or a small bunch chives, finely snipped
• 2x handful frozen sweetcorn
• 2x handful frozen peas
• handful grated cheddar

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180 fan/gas mark 6.
2. Put the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water. Bring to the boil and then simmer until tender. When cooked drain thoroughly and mash with a splash of milk and some butter. Season with ground black pepper.
3. Put the butter, flour and spring onions in another pan and heat gently until the butter has melted, stirring regularly. Cook for 1 -2 mins. Gradually whisk in the milk using a balloon whisk if you have one. Bring to the boil, stirring to avoid any lumps and sticking at the bottom of the pan. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes until thickened.
4. Take off the heat and stir in the cheese (if using), fish, mustard, chives, sweetcorn and peas. Spoon into an ovenproof dish.
5. Spoon the potato on top and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
6. Pop in the oven for 20 - 25 mins or until golden and bubbling at the edges.

The Presentation Of Our Lady

Today is the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady. Not much is known about Mary prior to an angel appearing to her to ask wether she would be willing to bear the Son of God. From her very beginning Mary had been set apart, hers was the Immaculate Conception. God watched over her with great love. The feast we celebrate today does not have its roots in the Gospels but comes to us from ancient 
tradition.
 Moved by the Holy Spirit Mary consecrated her life to God from a young age and she grew in holiness and virtue. Today, as we celebrate her surrender to Gods plan for salvation let us ask Mary's help in living out our own vocation, so that like her, we will have the courage to give our own personal "fiat" to The Lord.

To help celebrate this feast in your home why not get the kids in the kitchen and whip up a batch of fairy cakes, ice them in blue icing for our Lady and sit together and enjoy them with some nice hot chocolate and pray a Hail Mary asking Our Lady to intercede for your family that you might all be able to say "yes" to God!

Christ The King

As the Churches year draws to a close we are reminded once more to remember that Christ is truly "King" and " Lord of all." This feast was established in 1925. When there then Pope, Pius XI released is encyclical Quas Primas. The world at that time was in turmoil. The effects of the First World War was still being felt. Adolf Hitler was on the rise and he formed the S.S and released his book Mien Kampf. Italy and Greece saw their political parties overtaken in political coups and it was into this that the Holy Father released his encyclical to counter the rising secularism that was facing the world.
The Holy Father wanted to remind the world that there could not be two "kings," but that we had to place our trust in the one who had proven his faithfulness even though he had faced death.
The call by Israel to be ruled by a king goes back to the Book of Samuel when the people of Israel asked to be ruled by Kings like "the other nations." Reluctantly Samuel spoke to God about the desires of his people and God warned them what would happen if they went down this path of their own choosing. Needless to say everything God spoke of came to pass. The Israelites had their sons and daughters taken from them, they lost crops and livestock to the King and if that wasn't enough they had to pay the king a tenth of all their crops and livestock.
Today's feast reminds us that God raised up a new "King." One leader who has seemingly passed the test of time. One man who sought not his own glory but came to give glory to God. One who did not try to obtain everything for himself but actually gave a complete outpouring of himself for the needs of others. Wherever he went he taught how to serve others, to love not only those that are easy to love but those whom we may consider our enemies. His teachings turned the religious beliefs of that time on their heads and he challenged the leaders to open their minds and hearts to his words.
Some listened and took on board what he said. Many did not, and called out for his demise. But do you know, you can't keep a good man down, three days after his crucifixion he rose and proclaimed his triumph over death.
God presented us with a new King, a King whose Kingdom is not of this world, who is above and beyond all human politics. One who is eager to be our King so that we may be his people.

To help celebrate this feast day I have added some links I found on the internet with some really good resources:

http://raisinglittlesaints.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/celebrating-liturgical-year-with.html

http://familyfeastandferia.com/2014/11/craft-christ-king/

http://catholiccuisine.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/a-crown-cake-on-feast-of-christ-king.html

St Elizabeth Of Hungary

St. Elizabeth was a young woman who certainly packed a lot of life into her own short life. She was of royal blood being the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and his wife Gertrude. When she was only four years old she was taken to live in the courts of her future husband at Thuringia. In many ways hers was a great love story. Betrothed to the eldest son, Hermann, who died before they could marry. Elizabeth was then betrothed to the younger son Ludwig. They had a deep devotion to each other and Ludwig often stepped in to protect her acts of charity and penance. It is noted that he often  held her hand as she knelt beside his bed praying her evening prayers. Ludwig had succeeded his father to the throne and was known to be a capable ruler and brave solider even though he himself was only 21 when they married and she was fourteen.

They had three children: Hermann II (1222-41), who died young; Sophia (1224-84) and Gertrude (1227-97).

Shortly after their marriage, while her husband was away in Italy, floods, famine, and the pest wrought havoc in Thuringia,  Elizabeth assumed control of affairs in her husbands absence and distributed alms to all those in need. She even gave away state robes and ornaments to the poor.

In order to care personally for the unfortunate, she built below the castle where they lived a hospital with twenty-eight beds and visited the inmates daily to attend to their wants; at the same time she aided nine hundred poor daily by distributing bread to those who were hungry. It is this period of her life that has preserved Elizabeth's fame to posterity as a gentle and charitable woman. When Ludwig  returned he confirmed all she had done. The next year (1227) Ludwig left for the crusades with  the Emperor Frederick II  but died, on the 11th of  September  at Otranto, from a disease. The news did not reach Elizabeth until October, just after she had given birth to her third child. On hearing the tidings Elizabeth, who was only twenty years old, cried out: "The world with all its joys is now dead to me."

Elizabeth vowed to never remarry  much to the dismay of her family and she began to live a life similar to a nun, despite pressure from her relatives.

The order of St. Francis had a huge influence on Elizabeth and at this time Elizabeth had a spiritual advisor, Master Conrad of Marburg. He was a tough man and his treatment of her was very strict and harsh and though he would not allow her to live in complete  poverty as the Franciscans did he did not allow her to live with the excesses of court life either.
It is unsure wether Elizabeth left the courts voluntarily or as some say she was driven out by her brother in law, but whichever it was Elizabeth eventually  joined the Third Order of the Franciscans.  Here she continued to devote herself to caring for the poor and sick. With the help of Conrad Elizabeth was able to build a hospital where she spent the last few years of her life caring for those who needed her most. She died at the age of twenty four.


There are many miracles attributed to St. Elizabeth, but one of her greatest known miracles occurred when she was still alive. Known as the miracle of roses. It is said that on one of her many trips delivering bread to the poor, Ludwig met with her and asked her questions about her errand because there were those at the castle who were  suspicious that she was stealing treasures from the castle. He asked her to reveal the contents under her cloak, when she did so a vision of white and red roses was seen. To Ludwig, this meant God's protection was evident.

 On another occasion Elizabeth took a leper and placed him in the bed she shared with her husband. Her mother-in-law discovered what Elizabeth had done and feeling enraged, she informed Ludwig. Annoyed with the situation, Ludwig removed the bedclothes and instantly the "Almighty God opened the eyes of his soul, and instead of a leper he saw the figure of Christ crucified stretched upon the bed." Needless to say he did not reprimand Elizabeth.
After her death many more miracles were investigated and along with the testimonies of her companions, including her Spiritual Director, Master Conrad, she  was canonized in 1235.

"Be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things.”

                            
                                   

Today we celebrate the feast of St. David, the patron Saint of Wales. The history of this Saint is a bit sketchy at best, with many legends attributed to him, wether there is any truth in them, who knows. However one of the thing we do know is that he was a man of great faith. He founded a number of monasteries in Wales and on the west side of England. He had a number of followers who lived very ascetic lives. After traveling to Jerusalem with his cousin St. Teilo  he became a Bishop of Menevia, an important port city linking Wales and Ireland in his time. The above quote is believed to be the last thing David said as he was dying. That's one of the things I love about the Catholic Church. Her history is littered with men and women who down through the ages have tried to live faithfully, to her founder. Leading others into a deeper relationship and trying to protect her teachings from heresies and other false notions. But whatever St. David did, or didn't do he is a man whom the Welsh people have taken deep into their hearts and for whom we pray that St.David will intercede for their nation.
One of our favourite St Davids's day dishes is leeks and ham in cheese sauce. Legend has it that this emblem, so well known for the welsh, came into being after a battle in which the welsh were trying to defend themselves against the Saxons.  The monk saw that his people were being overwhelmed in the battle. They were finding it hard to distinguish who was friend and who was foe because they were all dressed very similarly. The good monk pulled up a leek and told the Welshmen do the same and to place it on their helmets so that they would be able to recognize each other and know who were their enemies. The Welshmen probably found this a bit strange, but he was a man of God so they followed his advice. Before long they had won the battle and these lovely, tasty delicacies won their way into the peoples hearts. So in honour of St.David I encourage you to eat some leeks on this  feast day and try to live out St.Davids motto "Be joyful, keep the faith and do little things."


Leeks and ham in cheese sauce;

Allow two leeks per person or more if you love them!  Cut the ends off and wash well. Wrap them in a piece of ham and place in a baking dish.

For the cheese sauce;

25g/1oz cornflour or 

• 600ml/1 pint milk
• salt and pepper
• A pinch of mustard powder 
• 80g/3oz mature cheddar or other hard cheese

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
2. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Take the pan off the heat and gradually stir in the milk to get a smooth sauce. Return to the heat and, stirring all the time, bring to the boil.
4. Simmer gently for 8-10 minutes and season with salt and white pepper.
5. Stir in cheese and allow to melt. Don t re-boil the sauce or it will 
   become stringy.
   
   
   Pour sauce over the leeks and ham, top with some extra grated cheese and  place in a hot oven 180.c 350f  gas mark 4 for about 30/40mins or until the leeks are nice and soft and the cheese sauce is golden.
   Server with a lovely crisp green salad and some really nice bread to mop up that lovely sauce.
   
   
   
   

Building a legacy of faith in our families!

Building a legacy of faith in our families!

As a parent one of the most important and enduring gifts we can give our children and grandchildren is a faith in Jesus Christ and his saving power. But we should be under no illusion, this is not an easy task or one that we bear the full responsibility for. After all the real work of winning hearts and minds for Christ lies with God himself, because no-one desires their salvation more than he. God gives to parents the responsibility to partner with him in this task, he does not leave us alone or unaided.

So how then, do we go about this task? At this moment in history the world is pedaling many options for our children to choose, some good, some bad and some downright dangerous. We have to navigate through these murky waters to help bring our children safely out the other side of adolescence with a faith that is in tact or at least moving in the right direction. From everything I've
 read the one thing that seems to be a non negotiable is our own faith. Children have a unique way of finding out if their parents are "hypocritical." If we want our children to have a faith they need to see it lived out everyday. They need to know it is important to us. It has to be more than just giving up an hour on Sunday to go and do what we've always done. Mass should be the highlight of our week, or day if that is possible, an absolute obligation. Our sports and activities need to fit in around mass not the other way around. But it shouldn't end there.

Our homes should be a place of refuge from the "storms of life." They should be a place where love is lived out. In fact research shows that the level of faith that a child will keep will be very dependent on the closeness of relationship with the person who is teaching them the faith. In other words if Mum and Dad have a strong bond with their children then their children are more likely to stay faithful to Christ. And interestingly  enough it's not Mums faith which is important but Dads. Statistics show that children are more likely to stay practicing the faith if they see their Father practicing his faith.

I think so often as Catholics we are embarrassed to be seen to be overtly faithful, as if this is somehow showing a sign of weakness. But many people, especially our  men folk, give rise to a powerful witness to their children, especially their sons when those children see their Father bend his knee in prayer. There is something enduring about a parent who is willing to submit his life to the kingship of Jesus Christ. Parenting throws up many problems, as parents sometimes the only thing we can do is fall to our knees and seek Gods face to help us, we should never be so proud  that we are to afraid to acknowledge our own weakness and dependence on God.

Prayer therefore, is important, establishing our own prayer routine so that we can draw strength from God is an absolute, but so to is praying as a family. I know this can be hard, especially as children get older and schedules more complicated, but that coming together as a family has immense value. Coupled with the reading of Scripture all this helps to really open our families up to the grace God wants to bestow upon us. Reading the Scriptures also begins to help the children see that the bible is not just some dusty old book but  holds the answers to some of life's big questions. This is a vital ingredient  to building a  legacy of faith in our families.  If you are still not sure about reading Scripture to your children then  read Pslam 78:1-8 the bible makes it quite clear what we should be doing. See also Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Deuteronomy 11:18-21,proverbs 4:1-4, 20-21, 2Timothy3:16, Isaiah 55:11 Psalm 119:9-16. There are many more scripture passages which relate to this subject, but you will begin to get the idea. And this does not have to be an arduous task, just take a few minutes each day or if that's not possible try to schedule certain days when you have some free time to read a small piece of scripture. When the children  are little start with familiar bible stories, Noah and the Ark, Daniel and the lions etc. With older children  you can follow the daily readings or simply pick out various books of the bible. The four Gospels, proverbs, Ephesians,James,Philippians, Galatians and the psalms are good places to start.

Never underestimate the need for fellowship with other Catholics. This has been really important to our family. Finding friends who shared our Catholic faith has enriched all our lives.  Taking them on retreats where they saw a side of the Catholic Church that you don't get in most Sunday services was a definite bonus for all the family. Ministries like Youth 2000, the Faith Movement and many others, offer young people the opportunity to gather with other like minded youngsters and hear some great solid Catholic teaching.


Taking children to adoration and confession is another way of helping them open themselves up to the power of the Holy Spirit. Trying to get youngsters to sit still for a period of time is not easy. But if they start young, going to just kneel before Jesus and tell him they love him, blowing kisses and waving goodbye, etc begins to lay down a foundation. As they get older the length of time can be increased.

 Once they have made their first confession taking them monthly to confession begins a good habit. This works in two ways. Firstly, quite simply,  they get used to going to confession, it becomes second nature. Secondly, when started from an early age it never becomes an arduous task, they know the format. Regular confession helps them be open to the spirit and his healing power. While we are taking them we should make good use of our time and go as well, children love to imitate as we know, so again our own witness speaks to their hearts. Going to confession once a month can be an opportunity to treat the children, an ice-cream or pizza etc after confession can help,them begin to relate going to confession as a positive thing, after all rewards are a powerful motivator in all sorts of areas of life so why not in trying to teach our children their faith.

The fundamental goal of Christian parents is to see their children enjoy eternal life with them in heaven. Spending time as a family is vitally important to developing our relationship with our children. The years go by so quickly. Two decades disappear in a blink of an eye. We have so little time to influence them, that influence can have a lasting legacy, for good, or for bad.  Therefore if we want to build a strong legacy of faith in our families then increasing  the number of shared activities we  do as a family will help. The result of this shared time will be strong familial bonds. The relationships that are built through these activities allow us the opportunity to share our own faith and ideals, this will have a deep and profound effect on our children even though we may not feel we are making any impression children internalize everything their parents do and say. So much of this comes back to our children seeing us live out our faith. That good old adage "practice what you preach" is so true. If we want our children to have a faith that endures let them see us living out our own faith and allow them to walk beside us as we do it.
Parenting is not an easy job in this world, it probably never was. However we don't do this job alone. God walks beside us each and every day helping us to continue to build his kingdom, so with His help and His grace let us fulfill the task he has placed before us.

Changing the world or maybe just me!

St Aloysius Gonzaga

St Mary Magdalene

Over the next few days we celebrate a number of Saints. Saints are those wonderful people who often have a very colourful history. The Church in her wisdom holds a few of them up to help us in our journey as we continue forward to join them when we reach our final destination.

 We must never undervalue the experience of the saints. All the problems anyone has ever faced and will ever face over the course of their lifetime have already been encountered by many of these great men and women. The problems and the solutions have been recorded on the pages of the history books written about the cloud of witnesses who have walked this path before us.
 To really help us understand the issues we are facing we need to read these books to see how those who preceded us learnt how to handle the challenges we currently endure. If we cannot find the answer to our problems in Scripture, then we need to find a Saint who struggled with the same difficulties that we have in our lives, befriend them, and ask them to journey with us and pray for us.

We often believe that the saints never put a foot wrong. So often they are depicted as if they were pious, prayerful people who never doubted their faith, and never made any kind of mistake. They wouldn't dream of committing adultery, or murder. Never swore, certainly never took any kinds of illegal substance and definitely weren't promiscuous in any way. Sadly, or maybe not, the history of the church is made up of men and women who failed to live up to the ideals placed before them. But, who, when their lives were transformed by grace managed to turn everything around and walk with Christ.

For instance today we celebrate the feast of Mary Magdalene. Now there was a women with a shady reputation. But she brings us so much hope. When she, through the movement of grace was able to see her life for what it was, she was able to open herself up to Christ and be forgiven. She then went on to become one of his greatest friends.
There are many things that Mary can teach us. Firstly, It was she who waited at the tomb when all the others had left and was rewarded by being the first person to see the risen Lord. Sometimes we need to wait upon The Lord, and for us, like Mary Magdelene  it can be distressing but we are promised in Scripture that if "we seek" we will find and the door will be opened to us. We must never give up hope and continually search for the one "whom our hearts love."

Secondly her desire to be with The Lord was strong. When she encountered Jesus in the garden and failed to recognize him, in response to his question "woman why are you weeping" she replies "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take Him away." We need that same desire. We need to seek out The Lord and spend time with him alone so that he can deepen our desire for him. I think sometimes we get caught up in the distress of the moment and we fail to see God or to seek him, asking for a solution to our problems. I know I am guilty of this, so often we fail to put God in the first place. How many times do we seek solutions everywhere before finally deciding to pray about a situation?

Thirdly, how must Mary have felt when he called her by name. In reading Johns account you get the feeling there was surprise in her voice as she turned and said "Rabbuni," almost a disbelief, a questioning. And are we not often the same? Do we believe in our hearts that The Lord has called us by name. I once had a very strong experience of this. I was participating in a guided prayer week and one of our sessions was to take a piece of Scripture and really enter in to the scene. This particular passage was when Jesus was healing the blind man by putting mud on his eyes. We were asked to imagine ourselves sitting on the side of the road watching these events unfold. I found this all very difficult and struggled to enter into the story. But, when we were asked to imagine Jesus turning to us and speaking our name everything changed and I entered into that moment. As soon as I heard my name called I immediately raised my hand over my face and said" depart from me Lord, as I am a sinful woman." We then went on and had a brief encounter. This has always stayed with me and years later I remember it vividly. We too need to hear The Lord call us by name, for when we do we are set free to love Him and those who he sends into our lives.

Fourthly we need to tell those around us about The Lord, surely Mary was the very first Evangelist. After encountering the risen Lord she ran to tell the others the great news "The Lord is risen." When we experience the risen Lord don't we want to do the same thing?  And when we meet someone who has really met The Lord and feels they have been set free their joy is palpable and they cannot contain it. Fear stops most of us in our tracks from sharing our experiences. But if The Lord has touched our hearts we must share our stories and help build each other up in faith. It's how it was in the early church maybe it's time we practiced this once again.

So on this feast day let us really celebrate and believe in our hearts that The Lord has called us by name and set us free and let us go out with joy in our hearts.

Traditionally on this day you can eat some lovely sweet "Madeline" cakes. These cakes are usually made in a specially shaped baking mold. However, if you don't have one use a cupcake tin instead.

You need:
2 eggs,
100g/ 3 1/2oz sugar
100g/ 3 1/2oz plain flour
1 lemon, juice and zest
3/4 tsp baking powder
100g/3 1/2oz butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus some extra for greasing.

Preheat your oven to 200c/400f/Gas 6. if using a Madeline tray grace with some of the melted butter.
whisk eggs and sugar in a bowl until frothy. Carefully whisk in remaining ingredients. Leave to rest for 20-30 minutes before pouring into the Madeline tray.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the mixture has risen a little in the middle and is fully cooked through. They should be a lovely, light golden colour. Transfer the madeleines to a wire rack and enjoy while still warm.

Photo courtesy of Pinterest

St. Martha

Today is the feast of St. Martha, a woman who gives me great hope. Mothering a family is not an easy task, mothering a large family is not for the faint-hearted, in fact mothering any kind of family is not for the faint hearted! But what a vocation it is! Raising the next generation for Christ often takes all our strength and saps us of our energy. In Martha we see a reflection of ourselves. It is very easy to become distracted and worried by the "cares" of this world. We hustle and bustle around, chasing after children, often trying to hold down a job while putting food on the table and tending  to our husbands needs and anyone else's who should come knocking at our door.

Martha and Mary were sisters, they lived in Bethany, on the outskirts of Jerusalem with their brother Lazarus. Martha had in her heart the desire to prepare a meal for their dear friend. But she was frustrated by her sister Mary who lounged about sitting at Jesus' feet. I often wonder if Martha would probably like to sit at Jesus' feet and listen to what he had to say too but she wasn't given the opportunity, there was work to be done if anyone was to eat that night. Someone had to do it and the onus fell on her. I can resonate with that, the times we have guests to stay and I find myself in the kitchen while everyone else is laughing and talking in another room can really get me into a pity party mentality. 

Jesus loved this family, he was happy to spend time in their home. He knew he would get a warm reception and a good meal and he also knew someone had to prepare it. His gentle reprimand to Martha when she asked him if he thought her sisters failure to help her was a good thing was to remind Martha that Mary had chosen the "better part". We too mustn't become to overly concerned with the business of life. We must guard against unnecessary distractions  that can weigh us down and keep us hustling and bustling. Instead we should always keep our eyes on what is important, namely our relationship with Christ. 

So this feast day why not take five, stop what you are doing, read some scripture and spend some time just delighting in the fact that you are a child of God. You are loved, you are forgiven and you have a Father who utterly delights in you. When you have done that why not prepare something delicious for the family to eat!