Memorial of Saint Martha
Today is the Memorial of St Martha. She and her sister Mary and brother Lazarus were devoted and beloved friends of Jesus; this family enjoyed intimate fellowship with our Lord, indeed scripture indicates that they were like family to him. As we focus our attention on St Martha today, we find an invitation to enter into our own grief, fears, doubts, frustrations, and anxieties and in that space to encounter resurrection and life in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have two options for the Gospel today – in the account from John, we read of Lazarus’ death and the gathering of mourners who are grieving his loss. Martha gets word that Jesus is coming to visit them, and she goes out to meet him on his way. It’s easy to read this encounter blandly as historical narrative and miss the emotion and intensity. As you read, imagine the depth of Martha’s sorrow over the loss of her brother and her emotional reaction to Jesus because he was not present at the time of death. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Imagine Martha choking on those words, gasping through her sobs. We don’t know which feelings she experienced in that moment, but perhaps it was frustration, disappointment, resentment, maybe even anger. Martha may have felt abandoned or forgotten by Jesus. Many times, in our own lives we experience a loss or other grievous situation and cry out to God from the depths of our pain feeling alone and forsaken. A common lament goes something like, “Lord, where were you when _____ happened?” You may find yourself in such a place today. What does your heart want to say to our Lord?
Martha was accustomed to doing the right things and achieving good results accordingly. In the second Gospel account from Luke, we find Martha busily serving and frustrated that her sister Mary has left her with the burden of the work. Jesus observes that she is anxious and worried about many things. Maybe you can relate to this aspect of Mary’s experience today. We “busy do-ers” are easily frustrated when things don’t go according to plan. “Lord, if you had been here . . . if you had showed up as I expected, this horrible thing wouldn’t have happened . . .” Do you have any frustrations with the Lord that you might want to voice to him today?
Alongside her very human and natural emotional response to loss, Martha exhibits a simple trust and receptivity to our Lord. Martha believes that Jesus is the Messiah. She makes room in her heart, mind, and soul for Christ to reveal himself in the way that she needs. Jesus, in his tender love for Martha, offers her the basis for hope. She needs hope in order to journey through the pain of her loss, and Jesus graciously reveals the foundation for hope in the life of a disciple. I am the resurrection and the life, Jesus proclaims. This truth does not function only in life after our physical death, this truth guides our orientation toward all of life’s moments – the joys and the sorrows. Our Lord desires to bring resurrection to even the lowest and most lifeless parts of us; Christ breathes life into even the deadest aspects of ourselves, our relationships and situations. We need only be alert, desirous, and receptive to Christ’s power at work within and among us. Even when we do lose a loved one or experience another kind of painful loss, death does not have the last word! Jesus brings resurrection and life in unexpected ways sometimes. His presence always brings resurrection and life, it cannot be otherwise. What areas of your life need to be resurrected today? Where do you see evidence of disease, dis-ease, atrophy, or death that could be overcome by the life of Christ? Name those areas before the Lord and invite Jesus to come into those parts of your life proclaiming, I am the resurrection and the life! Like Martha, let us profess today, Lord, you are the Christ, the Son of God, the Resurrection and the Life. Let us ask for the graces to trust Jesus more and to invite him to enter our pain, trusting in his goodness and mercy, awake to the fruit of resurrection. Amen!
- Elizabeth Wourms