Are you distracted or worried?
Meet St. Martha
By Fr. Jerry Vincke
"Jesus
loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus." (John 11:5) This beautiful
statement tells us of the very special relationship that Jesus had with
this family living in Bethany, a small village two miles from Jerusalem.
Jesus was a frequent guest of Martha’s family.
It’s easy to identify with Martha in the story told in Luke 10:38-42.
Martha welcomes Jesus and is eager to serve Him by preparing a delicious
meal. Meanwhile, her sister Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus clinging
to every word. Martha is a bit upset at this and asks Jesus to intervene.
Jesus responds by saying that Martha is worried about many things that
distract her from really being present to Him.
In Martha, we see ourselves – worried and distracted by all we have
to do in the world and forgetting to spend time with Jesus. We want to
serve Jesus and others, but we also have to take the time to listen to
Him as well.
Another fascinating story regarding this family is the death of
Lazarus. As any one can understand, Martha is grieving the death
of her brother. When Jesus arrives in Bethany after Lazarus died, Martha
greets Him with the words, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother
would never have died." (John 11) Jesus assures Martha by saying,
"Your brother will rise again ," and states, "I am the
resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he should die,
will come to life; and whoever is alive and believes in me will never
die."
And then Jesus asks Martha, "Do you believe this?" This is a
question that Our Lord asks each one of us. Do we believe that Jesus is
the resurrection and the life? Martha’s response is hopefully our
response. "Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Messiah,
the Son of God, He who is to come into the world." While Lazarus
experienced a physical resurrection, Martha, by her belief in Jesus, experiences
a spiritual resurrection. The same thing happens to us when we believe
that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
St. Martha’s feast day is July 29.
FAITHteen Home | About FAITHteen | FAITH Magazine | Sign-up for FAITHteen
[ Premiere
Issue | Issue
#2 | Issue #3
| Issue #4 |
Issue #5 | Issue
#6 | Issue #7
| Issue #8 ]
[ Issue #9 |
Issue #10 |
Issue #11 |
Issue #12 |
Issue#13 | Issue#14
| Issue #15
| Issue #16
| Issue #17
]