JULY 29, 2020 : MEMORIAL OF SAINT MARTHA

Memorial of Saint Martha
Lectionary: 403/607

Reading 1JER 15:10, 16-21

Woe to me, mother, that you gave me birth!
a man of strife and contention to all the land!
I neither borrow nor lend,
yet all curse me.
When I found your words, I devoured them;
they became my joy and the happiness of my heart,
Because I bore your name,
O LORD, God of hosts.
I did not sit celebrating
in the circle of merrymakers;
Under the weight of your hand I sat alone
because you filled me with indignation.
Why is my pain continuous,
my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
You have indeed become for me a treacherous brook,
whose waters do not abide!
Thus the LORD answered me:
If you repent, so that I restore you,
in my presence you shall stand;
If you bring forth the precious without the vile,
you shall be my mouthpiece.
Then it shall be they who turn to you,
and you shall not turn to them;
And I will make you toward this people
a solid wall of brass.
Though they fight against you,
they shall not prevail,
For I am with you,
to deliver and rescue you, says the LORD.
I will free you from the hand of the wicked,
and rescue you from the grasp of the violent.

Responsorial Psalm59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18

R.     (17d)  God is my refuge on the day of distress.
Rescue me from my enemies, O my God;
from my adversaries defend me.
Rescue me from evildoers;
from bloodthirsty men save me.
R.     God is my refuge on the day of distress.
For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
mighty men come together against me,
Not for any offense or sin of mine, O LORD.
R.     God is my refuge on the day of distress.
O my strength! for you I watch;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
As for my God, may his mercy go before me;
may he show me the fall of my foes.
R.     God is my refuge on the day of distress.
But I will sing of your strength
and revel at dawn in your mercy;
You have been my stronghold,
my refuge in the day of distress.
R.     God is my refuge on the day of distress.
O my strength! your praise will I sing;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
my merciful God!
R.     God is my refuge on the day of distress.

AlleluiaJN 8:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelJN 11:19-27

Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died].
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”

or

Lk 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
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.”

 For the readings of the Memorial of Saint Martha, please go here.

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/072920.cfm

Meditation: You Are Anxious - One Thing Is Needful

Does the peace of Christ reign in your home and in your personal life? Jesus loved to visit the home of Martha and Mary and enjoyed their gracious hospitality. In this brief encounter we see two very different temperaments in Martha and Mary. Martha loved to serve, but in her anxious manner of waiting on Jesus, she caused unrest. Mary, in her simple and trusting manner, waited on Jesus by sitting attentively at his feet. She instinctively knew that what the Lord and Teacher most wanted at that moment was her attentive presence.

Give your concerns and pre-occupations to the Lord
Anxiety and preoccupation keep us from listening and from giving the Lord our undivided attention. The Lord bids us to give him our concerns and anxieties because he is trustworthy and able to meet any need we have. His grace frees us from needless concerns and preoccupation. Do you seek the Lord attentively? And does the Lord find a welcomed and honored place in your home?

Always welcome the Lord into your home and heart
The Lord Jesus desires that we make a place for him, not only in our hearts, but in our homes and in the daily circumstances of our lives as well. We honor the Lord when we offer to him everything we have and everything we do. After all, everything we have is an outright gift from God (1 Chronicles 29:14). Paul the Apostle urges us to give God glory in everything: "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17).

When you sit, eat, sleep and when you entertain your friends and guests, remember that the Lord Jesus is also the guest of your home. Scripture tells us that when Abraham opened his home and welcomed three unknown travelers, he welcomed the Lord who blessed him favorably for his gracious hospitality (Genesis 18:1-10; Hebrews 13:2). The Lord wants us to bring him glory in the way we treat others and use the gifts he has graciously given to us. God, in turn, blesses us with his gracious presence and fills us with joy.

Lord Jesus, to be in your presence is life and joy for me. Free me from needless concerns and preoccupations that I may give you my undivided love and attention.

Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The Body of Christ needs hearers and doers of the Word, by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.

"'Virtue does not have a single form. In the example of Martha and Mary, there is added the busy devotion of the one and the pious attention of the other to the Word of God, which, if it agrees with faith, is preferred even to the very works, as it is written: 'Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.' So let us also strive to have what no one can take away from us, so that not careless but diligent hearing may be granted to us. For even the seeds of the heavenly Word itself are likely to be taken away if they are sowed by the wayside (Luke 8:5,12). Let the desire for wisdom lead you as it did Mary. It is a greater and more perfect work. Do not let service divert the knowledge of the heavenly Word... Nor is Martha rebuked in her good serving, but Mary is preferred because she has chosen the better part for herself, for Jesus abounds with many blessings and bestows many gifts. And therefore the wiser chooses what she perceives as foremost."(excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 7.83-86)

https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2020&date=jul29b

WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, JOHN 11:19-27 or LUKE 10:38-42
Memorial of Saint Martha
(Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21; Psalm 59)

KEY VERSE: "I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God" (John 11:27).
TO KNOW: Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus were good friends of Jesus. When Jesus heard that Lazarus was gravely ill, he made plans to go to their home in Bethany (near Jerusalem where his passion and death awaited him). Jesus was delayed in coming, and upon his arrival, Martha told Jesus that he was too late; her brother had already died. Although she reproached Jesus for not coming sooner, she declared her faith in him that God would give him whatever she asked. Jesus told Martha that he was the "resurrection and the life" (v.25), and all who believed in him would share eternal life with him. Jesus asked Martha if she believed his words, and she responded with the same profession of faith that Peter spoke at Caesarea Philippi: "You are the Messiah, the Son of God" (Mt 16:16).
TO LOVE: In what ways can I help others cope with their grief?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, give me the faith to believe in the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

Memorial of Saint Martha 
Martha was the sister of Mary and Lazarus, her brother whom Jesus raised from the dead. The three shared a household in Bethany, and were friends of Jesus. In the famous incident in Luke's gospel (10:38-42), Martha was hostess to Jesus in her house. She demanded that Jesus tell her sister Mary to help her. Jesus commended Mary as choosing the better part, sitting at his feet and listening to his word (singular in the Greek). Martha and her sister Mary were not only related by blood but also by religious aspirations. Christian discipleship is first and foremost devotion to Jesus, the “one thing required” (Lk 10:42). This relationship shows itself in loving service, but without prayer, care for others’ needs may not be love. Martha may have been part of an early mission to France. She is known as the "Wonder Worker of Gaul."
Do not grieve or complain that you were born in a time when you can no longer see God in the flesh. He did not in fact take this privilege from you. As he says, "Whatever you have done to the least of my brothers, you did to me."-- Saint Augustine

http://www.togetherwithgodsword.com/commentaries-on-the-daily-gospel-of-the-mass.html

Wednesday 29 July 2020

St Martha. Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21. God is my refuge on the day of distress – Psalm 58(59):2-5, 10-11, 17-18. Matthew 13:44-46.

‘The kingdom of heaven is like …’

How many times does Jesus start with these words? Trying to imagine what the kingdom looks like is like trying to put a face to God. Impossible! Why does Jesus use so much imagery? Perhaps that’s the only way we can understand the nature of God.

Jesus uses two quite different images in order to impress upon us the gift of being a child of God. God constantly seeks us. God rejoices in the treasure of a people of faith. When a person receives the gift of faith and responds wholeheartedly to God’s searching, when they allow themselves to be ‘found’, then God rejoices like someone who has searched a field and finds a great treasure, or someone who finds a pearl of great value after sifting through some pretty ordinary offerings.

http://www.pray.com.au/gospel_reflection/wednesday-29-july-2020/

Saint Martha

Saint of the Day for July 29

(b. 1st century)

 

Detail | Lamentation over the Dead Christ with Joseph of Arimathea, the Virgin and Mary Magdalene, including s. Martha and Philip Benizi | Giovanni Bellini

Saint Martha’s Story

Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus were evidently close friends of Jesus. He came to their home simply as a welcomed guest, rather than as one celebrating the conversion of a sinner like Zacchaeus or one unceremoniously received by a suspicious Pharisee. The sisters feel free to call on Jesus at their brother’s death, even though a return to Judea at that time seems almost certain death.

No doubt Martha was an active sort of person. On one occasion, she prepares the meal for Jesus and possibly his fellow guests and forthrightly states the obvious: All hands should pitch in to help with the dinner.

Yet, as biblical scholar Father John McKenzie points out, she need not be rated as an “unrecollected activist.” The evangelist is emphasizing what our Lord said on several occasions about the primacy of the spiritual: “…[D]o not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear…. But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:25b, 33a); “One does not live by bread alone” (Luke 4:4b); “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” (Matthew 5:6a).

Martha’s great glory is her simple and strong statement of faith in Jesus after her brother’s death. “Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world’” (John 11:25-27).

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Reflection

Scripture commentators point out that in writing his account of the raising of Lazarus, Saint John intends that we should see Martha’s words to Mary before Lazarus was raised as a summons that every Christian must obey. In her saying “The teacher is here and is asking for you,” Jesus is calling every one of us to resurrection—now in baptismal faith, forever in sharing his victory over death. And all of us, as well as these three friends, are in our own unique way called to special friendship with him.

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Saint Martha is the Patron Saint of:

Cooks
Housewives
Servants
Waiters and Waitresses

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-martha/

Lectio Divina: St. Martha - Lk. 10:38-42

Lectio Divina

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Ordinary Time

1) Opening prayer

God our Father and protector,
without You nothing is holy,
nothing has value.
Guide us to everlasting life
by helping us to use wisely
the blessings You have given to the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

2) Gospel Reading - Luke 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” 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.”

3) Reflection

• The dynamics of the account. The condition of Jesus as an itinerant teacher offers Martha the possibility to receive Him in her house. This account presents the attitude of both sisters: Mary sitting down at Jesus’ feet is all taken up listening to His Word; Martha, instead, is taken up completely by many services and she gets close to Jesus to protest about her sister’s behavior. The dialogue between Jesus and Martha occupies a long space in the account (vv.40b-42): Martha begins with a rhetorical question, “Lord, do You not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself?”; then she asks for the intervention of Jesus so that He can call the sister back to the domestic work which she has abandoned: “Tell her to help me”. Jesus answers in an affectionate tone; this is the sense of the repetition of the name, “Martha, Martha”: He reminds her that she is concerned about “many things”, and in reality she needs “only one” and He concludes by recalling that the sister has chosen the best part, and it will not be taken away from her. Luke has built up this account on a contrast: the two different personalities of Martha and Mary; the first one is all taken up by “many things”, the second one does not do even one, she is all taken up with listening to the Master. The purpose of this contrast is to underline the attitude of Mary who dedicates herself to listen fully and totally to the Master, thus becoming the model for every believer.

• The person of Martha. She is the one who takes the initiative to receive Jesus in her house. In dedicating herself to receive the Master she is full of anxiety for the multiplicity of things to be prepared and by the tension of seeing herself alone to do it all. She is taken up by so much work, she is anxious, and experiences a great tension. Therefore, Martha “goes to Jesus” and addresses to Him a legitimate question for help: why should she be left alone by the sister? Jesus answers seeing that she is only worried, she is divided in the heart between the desire of serving Jesus with a meal worthy of His person and the desire to dedicate herself to listen to Him. Jesus, therefore, does not disapprove of Martha’s service, but only the anxiety with which she does it. Before, Jesus had explained in the parable of the sower that the seed that fell among the thorns recalls the situation of those who listen to the Word, but allow themselves to be taken up by other concerns (Lk 8:14). Therefore, Jesus does not disapprove of Martha’s work, the value of acceptance and welcoming concerning His person, but He warns the woman about the dangers into which she may fall:  anxiety and agitation. Jesus had already said something about these risks: “Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and everything else will be given to you as well” (Lk 12:31).

• The person of Mary. She is the one who accepts the Word: she is described with the imperfect form: “she was listening”, a continuing action in listening to the Word of Jesus. Mary’s attitude is in contrast with her sister’s anxiety and tension. Jesus says that Mary has preferred “the best part” that corresponds to listening to His Word. From the Word of Jesus the reader learns that there are not two parts of which one is qualitatively better than the other, but there is only the good one: to accept His Word. This attitude does not endorse avoiding one’s own tasks or daily responsibilities, but only the knowledge that listening to the Word precedes every service, every activity.

• Balance between action and contemplation. Luke is particularly attentive to link listening to the Word to relationship with the Lord. It is not a question of dividing the day in times dedicated to prayer and others to service, but attention to the Word precedes and accompanies the service. The desire to listen to God cannot be replaced by other activity: it is necessary to dedicate a certain time and place to seek the Lord. The commitment to cultivate listening to the Word comes from the attention to God: everything can contribute: the environment of the place, the time. However, the desire to encounter God should come from within one’s own heart. There is no technical element which automatically leads one to encounter God. It is a problem of love: it is necessary to listen to Jesus, to be with Him, and then the gift is communicated, and falling in love begins. The balance between listening and service involves all believers, in family life as well as in professional and social life: What can we do so that baptized persons persevere and attain maturity of faith? We should train ourselves to listen to the Word of God. This is the most difficult but surest way to attain maturity of faith.

4) Personal questions

• Do I know how to create in my life situations the paths of listening? Do I limit myself only to listen to the Word of God in church, or rather, do I dedicate myself to personal and profound listening, looking for suitable times and places?
• Do you limit yourself to a private use of the Word or do you proclaim it in order to become light for others and not only a lamp which lights one’s own private life?
• The Church has a long history in the Fathers and Doctors of the Church to help understand how to listen to the Word of God. Have you read and learned from this treasure of the Church to enable more profound listening?

5) Concluding Prayer

Yahweh, who can find a home in Your tent,
who can dwell on Your holy mountain?
Whoever lives blamelessly, who acts uprightly,
who speaks the truth from the heart. (Ps 15:1-2)

https://ocarm.org/en/content/lectio/divina-lectio-st-martha-lk-1038-42