Word to the Wise
Thursday, July 29, 2021 - July 29 - St. Martha
[1 John 4:7-16 and John 11:19-27 or Luke 10:38-42]"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." [Luke]
JULY 29 STS. MARTHA, MARY AND LAZARUS
The title of this feast seems to have changed, at least according to the LIVING IN CHRIST misalet that I work from. It used to be that Martha alone was celebrated. However, all three residents from the Bethany household have their moments on the stage of the gospels. Martha, of course, has become the patroness of practical busy folks. Mary of Bethany has become a kind of patroness of contemplative go-with-the-flow folks. Lazarus was apparently a close friend of Jesus and steals the show by being raised from the dead! Martha's declaration of faith in Jesus [in the alternale gospel passage from the Gospel According to John] ranks alongside that of Thomas after the resurrection. Even fussy bustlers have their day!
Aside from the traditional convenient interpretation of the scene in the home [in the alternate gospel passage from the Gospel According to Luke] as a contrast between active and contemplative forms of Christian life, I find it comforting to know that Jesus actually had close friends whose home he could go to visit. I know how much that has meant to me in my years of ministry. If nothing else, Martha, Mary and Lazarus can be joint patrons (patronesses) of all those who minister to clergy and religious and allow them to be "part of the family." I, for one, am ever grateful to them. AMEN