Help for Millions of Anxious Marthas in the World

“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.”  (Luke 10: 41-42.  Martha has been scurrying about serving the Lord.  Jesus cites, though, her anxiety and worry about “many things,” which raises the point:  There was something deeper than concern about perfect hospitality here.

 
Numerous sources underscore anxiety as a leading modern ailment affecting millions around the globe, and that number has gown in recent times.  Therapymatters.co names it the most common mental illness with over forty million so suffering in the United States and about one in three adolescents so impacted.  Other sources tout similar alarming numbers, with younger children ever more susceptible to this ailment.  While various organizations and associations attempt to pinpoint causation in physical, environmental, and social terms, as Catholics it is critical to recognize that much of what expresses itself in anxiety has origins in the state of the soul as well as the mind and body.

 
Certainly some anxious people may have a particularly sensitive temperament and be more prone to thoughts that intrude and trigger anxiety.  There is speculation about a genetic predisposition, but family history may also produce generational reactive personalities.  Trauma, isolation,  and life stressors can contribute to states of anxiety.  Particularly childhood experiences can shape how a person perceives others, especially as relates to themselves, and evoke life patterns of negative thinking.  Further, studies have pinpointed serotonin as a neurological basis for vulnerability to anxiety.  

 
Still, given the state of the world in the 21st Century, we should not neglect the escalation of anxiety as it corresponds to the decline in Faith and living as Jesus Christ taught and lived.  Indeed, as people have strived to “fix” the world around them and by largely human endeavors, in the absence of seeking peace of soul, anxiety has continued to mushroom.  

 
In Jesus’  admonishment to Martha, it should be noted that it was most likely delivered with utmost gentleness and loving concern.  St. Augustine noted that the repetition of her name indicated love. (Commentary by Cornelius a Lapide).  Rather than resting in trust and hope at the knees of Jesus, Martha was preoccupied with worldly matters and how she “looked” to Jesus and as his follower.   Father James Kubicki, S.J. in A Year of Daily Offerings:  Giving Your life to God One day at a Time observes that Jesus was not criticizing Martha’s busyness, but her attitude, and that anxiety and worry “usually arise when we are concerned about ourselves.” (pg 227).  I would add that anxiety is often future oriented, aroused by imagined misfortune about “what ifs.”    

 
Jesus refocuses Martha that it is in rapt listening to His Word and acting gently and peacefully to fulfill love that He desires.  Intentionally poor Himself, in earthly terms, Jesus has no need of anything but the simplest fare, but he sought abundant devotion.  I am reminded of the words of Mother Teresa when she asserted that God does not look for us to be successful, but faithful.

 
As we ponder this, though, there are likely still many who still grapple with unwanted anxiety.  They have tried all types of remedies, including prayer, music, quiet environments, long walks, therapists and medication.  All of these may help, but at some point, for some anxious prone persons, there may always be the challenge of anxiety, and what then?

 
Determine the type of anxiety.  Is it situational, such as flying in an airplane; is it environmental, such as visiting in laws; is it seasonal, such as every Christmas; is it from a traumatic event?  If it is obsessive anxiety as described in Escaping Anxiety:  Along the Road to Spiritual Joy Albert E. Hughes and Ronda Chervin, Ph.D, there is more “work” to be done to jump on that road to spiritual joy.

Ensure that you have thoroughly examined what Spiritual Director Albert E. Hughes, calls the bitter root of your anxiety, whereby you pinpoint its source or sources.   It could be from early childhood, but later manifesting itself—disguising itself—in other expressions including anger.  Rejection, abandonment, ridicule, judgment, and even gross indifference can induce anxiety.  Just the conviction that one is not—or cannot be—loved may lead to successive episodes of anxiety, particularly if one’s temperament is choleric or melancholic to begin with.  

 
Need some assistance? Catholics have an abundance of counselors and resources.   Escaping Anxiety:  Along the Road to Spiritual Joy provides a rare look at the inner workings of spiritual direction for a courageous directee (Ronda Chervin) with obsessive anxiety, sharing her inmost painful memories to assist others in similar anguish.  Many saints, including those who struggled with anxiety or scruples, addressed this malady.  St. Francis de Sales was one in his Introduction to a Devout Life.  The Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen frequently steered readers and listeners to remedies that focused on addressing and healing the conscience.  Catholic books include Anxiety:  A Catholic Guide to Freedom from Worry and Fear by Art Bennett, Loraine Bennett and Lianna Bennet Haidar, Sophia Institute Press.  However, there are many fine articles and Catholic organizations and associations to help.

 
Finally, anxiety can be lifelong despite our earnest efforts to completely defuse it, but unwanted thoughts can be employed as a loving offering to Our Lord Jesus Christ.  He prayed passionately and surrendered entirely in the Garden of Gethsesame, and we can, too.   Surrender, yes, surrender.  When feeling the rise of anxiety which may be accompanied by hyperventilation, a tingling sensation in the limbs, mutism or, the opposite, rage, offering all that unwanted distress and laying it at the feet of Jesus Christ Crucified or his Mother Mary, will suffice.  All that is required is awareness of this weakness, acknowledgement of circumstances and events that may worsen the condition, and which we may minimize or avoid, and a new habit of prayer in response to those attacks.  Most importantly, we can discipline our minds to remain in the present.   The storm will pass, and, after offering the mental anguish and unwanted physical symptoms, we can rest assured that God will transform them into loving sacrificial offerings and place them in a special treasure box to be celebrated at the end or our earthly journey.