May 7, 2010
Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter
By Melanie Rigney
And so (Judas and Silas) were sent on their journey. Upon their arrival in Antioch they called the assembly together and delivered the letter (from the apostles and presbyters). When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation. (Acts 15:30-31)
I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord. (Psalms 57:10)
Jesus said to his disciples: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.” (John 15:12-17)
Piety
When at night I go to sleep, fourteen angels watch do keep. Two my head are guarding, two my feet are guiding; two upon my right hand, two upon my left hand. Two who warmly cover; two who o'er me hover, two to whom 'tis given to guide my steps to heaven. (Hansel and Gretel, opera written by Engelbert Humperdinck in 1891-1892)
Study
Every Catholic convert or revert has a story. The one Marty Smart liked to tell involved a blade of grass.
Marty spent her career as a naval officer, the kind of job where people measure tangibles. She got into one of those “spiritual but not religious conversations” with someone, who then said to her, “How can you not believe in God when you look at a blade of grass?” Marty didn’t get it at first, but she marked that as the start of a journey to Catholicism that ended in this life on Monday. Today, her passing is being marked at St. Charles Borromeo in Arlington, followed by a reception at the Army Navy Country Club.
Marty knew a lot about laying down her life, and not just in the military. Before she was fifty, she was the matriarch of her extended family. She was determined that the love her sister and brother and parents had for her nieces and nephew would not be forgotten. She made regular trips to the West Coast to spend time with the next generation, and helped them come to the DC area for visits. She was active in the Arlington Cursillo movement, frequently stepping forward to assist in challenging situations with that beautiful smile and can-do attitude.
After some atypical behavior late last year, Marty went to get checked out. It turned out she had a brain tumor. Her family and friends set up one of those information-sharing Web sites. Marty’s last post there, from January, read in part: This wasn't quite what I had planned for the last few weeks but as with all things good comes through. As things stand now, I am expecting to start treatment in the next couple of weeks. Not sure just what that path will take but rest assured that I am excited and looking forward to wherever this plan takes me.
Amen. You are missed, friend.
Action
Consider offering some palanca for others who have brain tumors or making a donation in Marty’s honor to the American Brain Tumor Association (www.abta.org).
