Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus
Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Interestingly, this is the first time we are celebrating memorial of all three! Pope Francis included them in the General Roman Calendar “considering the important evangelical witness they offered in welcoming the Lord Jesus into their home, in listening to him attentively, in believing that he is the resurrection and the life.”
The friendship between Jesus, Martha, Mary and Lazarus is a special one. They shared a close and loving relationship. However, in today's gospel reading, there is tension in the household, as a result of the unfair division of labor between the two sisters, Martha and Mary. As the oldest child of my family who always felt the need to be responsible, I can easily identify with Martha in this scenario. I think to myself, “What a hostess Martha is!” She did so many things in so little time and offered her very best for Jesus. I can imagine how frustrated she must have felt when she finally found Mary sitting at Jesus’ side. To make matters worse, Martha looks to Jesus for validation and understanding, and yet he answers her with these words, “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.”
God has gifted us with our own unique set of gifts and talents and we all struggle with our own weaknesses. Martha was so worried and distracted by many things to be open to listening to Jesus. Although “the better part” was available to her, it was Mary’s heart that was transformed. Maybe it isn’t “more” Jesus requires of us, maybe it is less. For those of us used to being too distracted and fretting about so many things, Jesus’ words can be incredibly freeing. Despite Martha’s initial distraction, she comes to offer her own profound witness when Jesus raises her brother Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:19-27). She says, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” She listened to Jesus’ voice, and had her own transformation of heart!
In the 1960s, Charles Hummel published a booklet called Tyranny of the Urgent, and it quickly became a business classic. In it, Hummel argues that there is a regular tension between things that are urgent and things that are important—and far too often, the urgent wins. So how can we put our urgent matters aside and open our hearts to Jesus’ invitation to sit at his feet? Perhaps this week we can limit our distractions by finding five minutes in a quiet place to pray and listen. When we take the time to hear his voice, God provides us with the grace we need.
-Jessica Gabrielli