29 July 2019
Memorial of Saint Martha
The church offers us with two gospel reading options, one from John the other from Luke. The Johnine account tells about Martha’s faith in the resurrection, a conversation she has with Jesus upon the death of her brother Lazarus. Martha professes that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and those become a model for all believers. The second reading tells the story of how she is busy getting the dinner ready while her sisters entertains the guest. I’m glad that both readings are offered and both should be mentioned in a homily since they perhaps provide a more rounded out picture of a woman who is sometimes portrayed as more concerned about the au jus then Jesus. In Martha we see a woman of faith but realize that it takes work to put faith into action. As the recording secretary of the Martha fan club, I appreciate people who realize that getting events ready takes some work and that paying attention to the guest of honor is important, but somebody has to set up the chairs.