Memorial of Saint Martha
Lectionary: 405/607
Lectionary: 405/607
In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim,
son of Josiah, king of Judah,
this message came from the LORD:
Thus says the LORD:
Stand in the court of the house of the LORD
and speak to the people of all the cities of Judah
who come to worship in the house of the LORD;
whatever I command you, tell them, and omit nothing.
Perhaps they will listen and turn back,
each from his evil way,
so that I may repent of the evil I have planned to inflict upon them
for their evil deeds.
Say to them: Thus says the LORD:
If you disobey me,
not living according to the law I placed before you
and not listening to the words of my servants the prophets,
whom I send you constantly though you do not obey them,
I will treat this house like Shiloh,
and make this the city to which all the nations of the earth
shall refer when cursing another.
Now the priests, the prophets, and all the people
heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the LORD.
When Jeremiah finished speaking
all that the LORD bade him speak to all the people,
the priests and prophets laid hold of him, crying,
“You must be put to death!
Why do you prophesy in the name of the LORD:
‘This house shall be like Shiloh,’ and
‘This city shall be desolate and deserted’?”
And all the people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
son of Josiah, king of Judah,
this message came from the LORD:
Thus says the LORD:
Stand in the court of the house of the LORD
and speak to the people of all the cities of Judah
who come to worship in the house of the LORD;
whatever I command you, tell them, and omit nothing.
Perhaps they will listen and turn back,
each from his evil way,
so that I may repent of the evil I have planned to inflict upon them
for their evil deeds.
Say to them: Thus says the LORD:
If you disobey me,
not living according to the law I placed before you
and not listening to the words of my servants the prophets,
whom I send you constantly though you do not obey them,
I will treat this house like Shiloh,
and make this the city to which all the nations of the earth
shall refer when cursing another.
Now the priests, the prophets, and all the people
heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the LORD.
When Jeremiah finished speaking
all that the LORD bade him speak to all the people,
the priests and prophets laid hold of him, crying,
“You must be put to death!
Why do you prophesy in the name of the LORD:
‘This house shall be like Shiloh,’ and
‘This city shall be desolate and deserted’?”
And all the people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 69:5, 8-10, 14
R. (14c) Lord,
in your great love, answer me.
Those outnumber the hairs of my head
who hate me without cause.
Too many for my strength
are they who wrongfully are my enemies.
Must I restore what I did not steal?
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Since for your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother’s sons,
Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
But I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Those outnumber the hairs of my head
who hate me without cause.
Too many for my strength
are they who wrongfully are my enemies.
Must I restore what I did not steal?
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Since for your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother’s sons,
Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
But I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
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."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The voice of life and joy that awakens the
dead, by Athanasius of Alexandria (295-373
AD)
"I am the voice of life that wakens the dead. I
am the good odor that takes away the foul odor. I am the voice of joy that takes
away sorrow and grief.… I am the comfort of those who are in grief. Those who
belong to me are given joy by me. I am the joy of the whole world. I gladden
all my friends and rejoice with them. I am the bread of life" (John 6:35). (excerpt from HOMILY ON THE RESURRECTION OF
LAZARUS)
FRIDAY, JULY 29, JOHN 11:19-27 or
LUKE 10:38-42
(Jeremiah 26:1-9; Psalm 69)
(Jeremiah 26:1-9; Psalm 69)
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 he heard that Lazarus was gravely ill, Jesus 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 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."
Friday 29 July 2016
Fri
29th. St Martha. Day of penance.
Jeremiah
26:1-9. Lord, in your great love, answer me—Ps 68(69):5, 8-10, 14. Matthew 13:54-58.
'I
am the resurrection and the life.'
Many
times, like Martha, we are torn between the wondrous faith we wish to uphold
and the much more real and less glorified reality of our existence – our grief,
our worries, our doubts and fears. We would like to take comfort in the promise
of love and hope that God gives us, but it seems unattainable, too distant, too
perfect to be true. Jesus, however, cuts right through the seemingly vast
abyss. 'I am the resurrection and the life!'. With him, life and resurrection
is not just something we wait for on that far, uncertain 'last day'; life is
here and now, right before our eyes, speaking to us. He, himself, is the life
and the resurrection; he who comes to us in times of sadness, he who weeps and
grieves with us; he, the friend, who answers and becomes intimately present in
time of need.
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
|
A Symbiotic Duo
|
Anger and inconsistency feed each other. Anger in a parent can
lead to erratic discipline, and erratic discipline promotes anger and
frustration. Good parents work hard to discipline with a level head. The best
parents though, even after many years or many kids, are still working on the
level-headed part.
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
Divina:
Friday,
July 29, 2016
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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