Memorial of Saint Martha

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.

— John 11:19-27


The Lord peace of the Lord be with you. Today is the memorial of Saint Martha. Like Saint Peter, Saint Martha gives me tremendous hope. As we see in our Gospel reading today, there are moments where she has tremendous insight. She is one of those people who recognizes the divinity of Jesus. When I look at Martha — when she gets upset because her sister Mary is not helping her to wait on Jesus — I get a sense that she is a real person. Both she and Saint Peter are honest about their humanity and their imperfections. In the case of Martha, Jesus even goes as far as saying that she has great anxiety. Yet, because of the grace that God pours out on her, she becomes a saint. Often times I can get very discouraged with my limitations and the things that I continue to do, despite my best effort.

Martha and Saint Peter both remind me that we must persevere in our faith remembering that God’s grace is continually healing us and making us whole. We must not let discouragement run our lives. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Readings for Wednesday, July 29, 2020