Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Martha. There are two options for the Gospel at Mass today. One is from 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.”
The other is from John 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.”
Both of these Gospel passages give us great information about Martha’s faith. She had immense love and trust in the Lord. She, Lazarus, and Mary were close to Jesus, and as each member was unique in their response to Christ, each also came to share in his glory through their yes in faith.
“Martha, Martha you are anxious and worried about many things.” Jesus is gently correcting his friend, calling her to the better portion of faith. In this moment, Martha, though serving as a great host, is complaining about her sister, and even more, she is distracted, unable to focus on the Lord.
Often, we get distracted; we worry; and we complain. Christ calls us to more, just as he gently corrects Martha. In our daily lives, we can become so fixated on the stresses, but if we do not entrust our anxieties to the Lord, they cannot be transformed.
St. Padre Pio quotes, ”If certain thoughts bother you, it is devil who causes you to worry, and not God, Who, being the spirit of peace, grants you tranquility.” Especially among the worldly anxieties, we are called to trust in God. Mary models that at the foot of Jesus, but Martha does too in the raising of her brother. When Christ asks us, do we believe that he is the resurrection and the life, may we too profess: “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”
