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| “Christ in the House of Martha and Mary” by Tintoretto, 1570-75 |
Note: For this Memorial, the Gospel of
the Proper is used.
Readings and
Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 14:17-22
Let my eyes stream with tears
day and night, without rest,
Over the great destruction which overwhelms
the virgin daughter of my people,
over her incurable wound.
If I walk out into the field,
look! those slain by the sword;
If I enter the city,
look! those consumed by hunger.
Even the prophet and the priest
forage in a land they know not.
Have you cast Judah off completely?
Is Zion
loathsome to you?
Why have you struck us a blow
that cannot be healed?
We wait for peace, to no avail;
for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.
We recognize, O LORD, our wickedness,
the guilt of our fathers;
that we have sinned against you.
For your name's sake spurn us not,
disgrace not the throne of your glory;
remember your covenant with us, and break it not.
Among the nations' idols is there any that gives rain?
Or can the mere heavens send showers?
Is it not you alone, O LORD,
our God, to whom we look?
You alone have done all these things.
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Commentary Jer
14:17-22
This reading is part of the
Prophet Jeremiah’s great lament for the destruction and death that has come to Judah . He uses the metaphor of a young woman morally
wounded to describe the damage to the land and people. The concluding verses constitute a plea for
mercy and a confession of past sins (“We recognize, O
Lord, our wickedness, the guilt of our fathers”). The implication being the destruction visited upon them
was a consequence of their sin. The
Prophet’s final plea recognizes the one True God who is all powerful.
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Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 79:8, 9, 11 and 13
R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver
us.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. For the glory of
your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name's sake.
R. For the glory of
your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Let the prisoners' sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. For the glory of
your name, O Lord, deliver us.
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Commentary Ps
79:8, 9, 11 and 13
Psalm 79 is a lament over the
destruction of the Temple. In this part of the hymn the psalmist asks God for
forgiveness of past offenses and compassion in their need. This sin has
resulted in their imprisonment and separated them from God. This hymn was
offered after the destruction of the temple and the loss of the Ark of the
Covenant. It is a plea for compassion and help while repenting from sins (“Deliver us and pardon our sins for your
name’s sake.”).
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GOSPEL
First Option[4]
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."
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Commentary on Jn 11:19-27
Within the story or the death and resurrection of Lazarus we
see the very human emotions of Jesus they range from confidence in his
relationship with the Father at the end of the story to the all too human grief
and fear as he expresses his concern at what this revelatory event has cost his
close friends, Martha and Mary, as they see their brother die. The encounter
describes Martha’s fear and remorse change to faith as she makes her profession
of faith (“I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God”)
This exchange of fear for faith seen in the witnesses is the same conversion
the Gospel attempts to initiate in the Christian faithful in response to these
events.
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OR
Second Option
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“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.”
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Commentary on Lk 10:38-42
In this encounter with Martha and Mary in St. Luke’s Gospel
we see two distinct messages. First, we see the importance of the role of women
and Jesus’ attitude toward them. Second we see the importance of listening to
the word of God "Mary has chosen the better part".
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Reflection:
On this Feast of St. Martha, as if to renew our own wonder
at the miracle promised by the Lord when he invited us to share in his own
resurrection from the dead, we are presented with the wonderful story of the
Resurrection of Lazarus from St. John’s Gospel.
In this story we find ourselves most easily standing in the
place of Martha and Mary. We have met
these sisters before in St. Luke’s Gospel.
Martha is the outspoken one. To
her falls the practical tasks of life.
She must concern herself with daily chores and keeping the home; a home
she shares with her sister and brother.
She is the one responsible for running it smoothly. She is fearless and completely un-intimidated
by the holiness of Jesus. Mary, her
sister, is the less intense but more spiritual of the two. We remember her sitting at the feet of Jesus
and we are reminded by St. John that it was Mary who anointed him with perfumed
oil and dried his feet with her hair. We
can all empathize with the sisters as their brother Lazarus falls ill and dies.
They had sent for Jesus sometime earlier, hoping he would
arrive to heal their brother. While he was still some way off, Martha heard
that he was coming and went to meet him.
We are given a glorious exchange between the outspoken Martha and our
Savior. Martha takes him to task. “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.” Knowing Martha, we can almost
hear the accusation in her words. She is not calm in her grief for her brother,
but she still has faith in Jesus.
The Lord tries to tell Martha what he is about to do. But,
she does not understand, thinking he is speaking about the resurrection on the
last day. (Martha’s understanding of resurrection is likely the same as the
Pharisaic Definition, that the righteous dead would be raised at the end of
time. The Lord, after all, had not
demonstrated the truth in his own resurrection at this point.)
Finally, he corrects hear and puts the question directly to
her; “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he
dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do
you believe this?” We can see the light
of understanding come into her eyes as she responds; “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of
God, the one who is coming into the world.”
What an exalted role she played in Christ’s life.
The life and ministry of St. Martha should be a constant
reminder to all of us who work for Christ in our time on earth. There will be
times when we too become tired and frustrated; when we pray for a little help
in doing what we have set our hearts to do for God. Like St. Martha, we are
very human and prone to these outbursts. Let us pray that when our work is done
and we at last are face to face with the Lord, we too many be allowed to
proclaim to the heavens and earth “I have come to believe that you are the
Christ, the Son of God the one who is coming into the world.”
Pax
[1]
The picture is “Christ in the House of Martha and Mary” by Tintoretto, 1570-75
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
Recommended by USCCB for this year
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