“Memorial of St. Martha”
©2013 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
Today we celebrate the Memorial of St Martha. Martha was born of noble and wealthy parents, but she is still more illustrious for the hospitality she gave to Christ our Lord. After His Ascension into heaven, she was seized by the Jews, together with her brother and sister, Marcella her handmaid, and Maximin, one of the seventy two disciples of our Lord, who had baptized the whole family, and many other Christians. They were put on board a ship without sails or oars, and left helpless on the open sea, exposed to certain shipwreck. But God guided the ship, and they all arrived safely at Marseilles.
This miracle, together with their preaching, brought the people of Marseilles, of Aix, and of the neighborhood to believe in Christ. Lazarus was made Bishop of Marseilles and Maximin of Aix. Magdalen, who was accustomed to devote herself to prayer and to sit at our Lord's feet, in order to enjoy the better part which she had chosen, that is, contemplation of the joys of heaven, retired into a deserted cave on a very high mountain. There she lived for thirty years, separated from all human intercourse; and every day she was carried to heaven by the angels to hear their songs of praise.
But Martha, after having won the love and admiration of the people of Marseilles by the sanctity of her life and her wonderful charity, withdrew in the company of several virtuous women to a spot remote from men, where she lived for a long time, greatly renowned for her piety and prudence. She foretold her death long before it occurred; and at length, famous for miracles, she passed to our Lord on the fourth of the Kalends of August. Her body which lies at Tarascon is held in great veneration.
Excerpted from The Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B.
Prayer: Saint Martha, pray for us that we might serve Jesus better. Help us to overcome our distractions and worries to listen to his words and be present to him this day. Amen
Who was Martha? (From Wikipedia)
Martha of Bethany (Aramaic מַרְתָּא Martâ) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She is the middle child of her family with Lazarus being the eldest and her sister Mary the youngest. She was witness to Jesus' resurrection of her brother, Lazarus.
Scripture with Martha:
(Luke
10:38-42) At the Home of Martha and Mary
“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he
came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She
had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.
But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.
She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to
do the work by myself? Tell her to help me! “Martha, Martha,” the Lord
answered, “You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are
needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be
taken away from her.”
(John 11:1-7) The Death of Lazarus
(John 11:1-7) The Death of Lazarus
“Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of
Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay
sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with
her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is
for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved
Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was
sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let
us go back to Judea.”
(John 11:17-24) Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus
(John 11:17-24) Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus
“On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had
already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles
from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort
them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was
coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said
to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know
that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your
brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in
the resurrection at the last day.”
(John 11:38-44) Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead
(John 11:38-44) Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead
“Jesus,
once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid
across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha,
the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been
there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you
will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up
and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always
hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they
may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud
voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped
with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take
off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Your brother in Christ Jesus
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
Your brother in Christ Jesus
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
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