Memorial of Saint Martha
Lectionary: 403/607
Lectionary: 403/607
As Moses came down
from Mount Sinai
with the two tablets of the commandments in his hands,
he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant
while he conversed with the LORD.
When Aaron, then, and the other children of Israel saw Moses
and noticed how radiant the skin of his face had become,
they were afraid to come near him.
Only after Moses called to them did Aaron
and all the rulers of the community come back to him.
Moses then spoke to them.
Later on, all the children of Israel came up to him,
and he enjoined on them all that the LORD
had told him on Mount Sinai.
When he finished speaking with them,
he put a veil over his face.
Whenever Moses entered the presence of the LORD to converse with him,
he removed the veil until he came out again.
On coming out, he would tell the children of Israel
all that had been commanded.
Then the children of Israel would see
that the skin of Moses’ face was radiant;
so he would again put the veil over his face
until he went in to converse with the LORD.
with the two tablets of the commandments in his hands,
he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant
while he conversed with the LORD.
When Aaron, then, and the other children of Israel saw Moses
and noticed how radiant the skin of his face had become,
they were afraid to come near him.
Only after Moses called to them did Aaron
and all the rulers of the community come back to him.
Moses then spoke to them.
Later on, all the children of Israel came up to him,
and he enjoined on them all that the LORD
had told him on Mount Sinai.
When he finished speaking with them,
he put a veil over his face.
Whenever Moses entered the presence of the LORD to converse with him,
he removed the veil until he came out again.
On coming out, he would tell the children of Israel
all that had been commanded.
Then the children of Israel would see
that the skin of Moses’ face was radiant;
so he would again put the veil over his face
until he went in to converse with the LORD.
Responsorial PsalmPS 99:5, 6, 7, 9
R. (see 9c) Holy is the Lord our God.
Extol the LORD, our God,
and worship at his footstool;
holy is he!
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
and Samuel, among those who called upon his name;
they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
From the pillar of cloud he spoke to them;
they heard his decrees and the law he gave them.
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
Extol the LORD, our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for holy is the LORD, our God.
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
Extol the LORD, our God,
and worship at his footstool;
holy is he!
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
and Samuel, among those who called upon his name;
they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
From the pillar of cloud he spoke to them;
they heard his decrees and the law he gave them.
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
Extol the LORD, our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for holy is the LORD, our God.
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
Meditation: Martha said to Jesus, "I know he
will rise again"
What gives us hope and joy in the face of death? The loss of a
loved one naturally produces grief and anguish of heart. When Martha, the
sister of Lazarus and a close friend of Jesus, heard that Jesus was coming to
pay respects for the loss of Lazarus, she immediately went out to meet him
before he could get to her house. What impelled her to leave the funeral party
in order to seek Jesus out? Was it simply the companionship and consolation of
a friend who loved her brother deeply? Or did she recognize in Jesus the hope
that God would restore life?
Jesus strengthens us in faith and hope
Martha, like many Orthodox Jews, believed in the life to come. The loss of her brother did not diminish her hope in the resurrection. She even gently chides Jesus for not coming soon enough to save Lazarus from an untimely death. Jesus does something unexpected and remarkable both to strengthen her faith and hope in the life to come and to give her a sign of what he was to accomplish through his own death and resurrection. Jesus gave to her belief a new and profound meaning: He came from the Father to defeat sin and death for us and to restore life to those who believe in him.
Martha, like many Orthodox Jews, believed in the life to come. The loss of her brother did not diminish her hope in the resurrection. She even gently chides Jesus for not coming soon enough to save Lazarus from an untimely death. Jesus does something unexpected and remarkable both to strengthen her faith and hope in the life to come and to give her a sign of what he was to accomplish through his own death and resurrection. Jesus gave to her belief a new and profound meaning: He came from the Father to defeat sin and death for us and to restore life to those who believe in him.
Jesus gives abundant life now and forever
Jesus states unequivocally the he himself is the Resurrection and the Life. The life he offers is abundant life - life which issues from God himself. And everlasting life - the fulness of life which knows no end. Do you seek the abundant life which Jesus offers to those who believe in him?
Jesus states unequivocally the he himself is the Resurrection and the Life. The life he offers is abundant life - life which issues from God himself. And everlasting life - the fulness of life which knows no end. Do you seek the abundant life which Jesus offers to those who believe in him?
"Lord Jesus, you are the Resurrection and the Life.
Strengthen my faith and hope in your promises that I may radiate the joy of the
Gospel to others."
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, JOHN 11:19-27
(Exodus 34:39-35; Psalm 99)
(Exodus 34:39-35; Psalm 99)
KEY VERSE: "I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God" (v 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, which was 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 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, 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 Jesus' feet and learning from him. Martha and her sister Mary were not only related by blood but also by religious aspirations. They stayed close to our Lord and both served him. Martha may have been part of an early mission to France. She is also 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."-- from a sermon by Saint Augustine
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, 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 Jesus' feet and learning from him. Martha and her sister Mary were not only related by blood but also by religious aspirations. They stayed close to our Lord and both served him. Martha may have been part of an early mission to France. She is also 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."-- from a sermon by Saint Augustine
Wednesday 29 July 2015
St
Martha. Exodus 34:29-35. Holy is the Lord our God—Ps 98(99):
5-7, 9.
Matthew 13:44-46.
Take,
Lord, all that I have and possess.
At first
glance, the actions of the farmer and the merchant in today’s gospel may appear
extravagant and reckless. There is something akin to that recklessness in the
way in which great saints respond wholeheartedly to Jesus’ call to
discipleship. Their resounding ‘yes’ finds expression in the conduct of their
lives; and, in the case of Ignatius of Loyola, in a prayer he composed. Today I
make it my own.
Take,
Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire
will. All I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I
return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only
your love and your grace, that is enough for me.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
|
Be Not Afraid
|
One of the difficulties we may have when our lives become
unmanageable is that we find dealing with other people to be difficult and we
may even struggle to maintain a relationship with God. Caring people especially
can find themselves carrying unnecessary crosses as they become lost in the
maze of trying to meet everyone’s crazy expectations—including their own!
July
29
St. Martha
St. Martha
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 (see Luke 10:38-42) 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).
Comment:
Scripture commentators point out that in writing his account of the raising of Lazarus, St. John intends that we should see Martha’s words to Mary before tLazarus 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.
Scripture commentators point out that in writing his account of the raising of Lazarus, St. John intends that we should see Martha’s words to Mary before tLazarus 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.
Quote:
“Encouraged by so great a cloud of witnesses, we may run as victors in the race before us and win with them the imperishable crown of glory through Christ our Lord" (Roman Missal, Preface of Saints I).
“Encouraged by so great a cloud of witnesses, we may run as victors in the race before us and win with them the imperishable crown of glory through Christ our Lord" (Roman Missal, Preface of Saints I).
Patron Saint of:
Housewives
Waiters, waitresses
Housewives
Waiters, waitresses
LECTIO DIVINA:
ST. MARTHA - LK. 10,38-42
Lectio:
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
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.
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
In the course of their journey Jesus came to a village, and a
woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary,
who sat down at the Lord's feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha, who
was distracted with all the serving, came to him and said, 'Lord, do you not
care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell
her to help me.'
But the Lord answered, 'Martha, Martha,' he said, 'you worry and
fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary
who has chosen the better part, and it is not to 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 behaviour. 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 recalling that
the sister has chosen the best part, and 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 of
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 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 the service of Martha, but only the anxiety with which she does it.
But 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 the work of Martha, the value of acceptance and
welcoming concerning his person but he warns the woman about the risks in which
she may fall: the 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 listened”, a continuing action in
listening to the Word of Jesus. Mary’s attitude is in contrast with that full
of anxiety and tension of her sister. Jesus says that Mary has preferred “the
best part” that corresponds to the listening of 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 mean the evasion from 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 substituted 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 the
maturity of faith? We should educate 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 and itineraries
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?
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)
who can dwell on your holy mountain?
Whoever lives blamelessly, who acts uprightly,
who speaks the truth from the heart. (Ps 15,1-2)
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