July 29 + Saint Martha

"Jesus loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus." This unique statement in St. John's gospel tells us of the special relationship Jesus had with Martha, her sister Mary Magdalene, and her brother Lazarus.

Jesus was a frequent guest at Martha's home in Bethany, a small village two miles from Jerusalem. We read of three visits in St. Luke 10:38-42, St. John 11:1-53, and St. John 12:1-9.

Many of us find it easy to identify with Martha in the story St. Luke tells. Martha welcomes Jesus and his disciples into her home and immediately goes to work to serve them. Hospitality is paramount in the Middle East and Martha believed in its importance.

In the gospel of St. Luke, Martha receives Jesus into her home and worries herself with serving Him, a worry that her sister Mary Magdalene, who sat beside the Lord's feet "listening to Him speak," doesn't share. Her complaint that her sister is not helping her serve draws a reply from the Lord who says to her, "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 over-anxiousness she displays in serving is put into the right context by Jesus who emphasizes the importance of contemplating Him before all things. Jesus' response is not unkind, which gives us an idea of His affection for her. He reminds her that there is only one thing that is truly important — listening to Him. And that is what Mary was doing.

In Martha we see ourselves — worried and distracted by all we have to do in the world and forgetting to spend time with Jesus. It is, however, comforting to note that Jesus loved her just the same.

Martha is the patron of housewives, servants, waiters and cooks.