Additional Information about St. Martha
Additional information about St. Mary of Bethany
Additional information about St. Lazarus of Bethany
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| “Martha, Mary, and Lazarus of Bethany” iconifer and date are unknown |
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Note: for this memorial the Gospel from the proper of the day is used.
Reading 1: Jeremiah 26:1-9
In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim,
son of Josiah, king of Judah,
this message came from the Lord:
Thus says the Lord:
Stand in the court of the house of the Lord
and speak to the people of all the cities of Judah
who come to worship in the house of the Lord;
whatever I command you, tell them, and omit nothing.
Perhaps they will listen and turn back,
each from his evil way,
so that I may repent of the evil I have planned to inflict upon them
for their evil deeds.
Say to them: Thus says the Lord:
If you disobey me,
not living according to the law I placed before you
and not listening to the words of my servants the prophets,
whom I send you constantly though you do not obey them,
I will treat this house like Shiloh,
and make this the city to which all the nations of the earth
shall refer when cursing another.
Now the priests, the prophets, and all the people
heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord.
When Jeremiah finished speaking
all that the Lord bade him speak to all the people,
the priests and prophets laid hold of him, crying,
“You must be put to death!
Why do you prophesy in the name of the Lord:
‘This house shall be like Shiloh,’ and
‘This city shall be desolate and deserted’?”
And all the people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
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Commentary on Jer 26:1-9
The opening comment in this selection sets the date of this incident at about 609 BC. Most scholars agree the narrative is from a third party (probably Baruch). The prophet causes a scandal in the temple by calling on those who consider themselves devout to repent and return to following the Law of Moses. According to Jeremiah, if they do not, the Lord’s anger will be unleashed against them, and Judah will be decimated.
The specific mention of Shiloh is significant in that Shiloh was once a high place, central to the worship of Yahweh (see Joshua 18:1 and Judges 18:31) [4] , but was destroyed, a reminder that God will not spare even places where he is worshiped if the people turn away from his desired path. As a result of this vitriolic discourse, Jeremiah is accused of blasphemy and seized by the leadership of the temple.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 69:5, 8-10, 14
R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Those outnumber the hairs of my head
who hate me without cause.
Too many for my strength
are they who wrongfully are my enemies.
Must I restore what I did not steal?
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Since for your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother’s sons,
Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
But I pray to you, O Lord,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
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Commentary on Ps 69:5, 8-10, 14
Psalm 69 is a lament in which the psalmist sings of being unjustly accused of crimes, and forced to make restitution. “The psalm, which depicts the suffering of the innocent just person vividly, is cited often by the New Testament especially in the passion accounts, e.g., Psalm 69:5 in John 15:25.” [5]
CCC: Ps 69:10 584
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GOSPEL
First Option
John 11:19-27
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 of 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 how 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
Luke 10:38-42
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 Luke 10:38-42
Reflection:
To place this tendency in the form of analogy, Martha’s sister Mary represents the congregation we serve. They sit at the Lord’s feet, without all the turmoil and distraction of the tasks necessary to serve the guests in which Martha (representing those of us who serve) is involved. There are times when we long for that peaceful place at the Master’s feet. There are times when we would like to go to them and say: “Would you mind helping? There is much work to do here.”
It is at these times we must remember that other role that Martha had in the life of Christ. When Mary and the other mourners were sitting with their brother Lazarus who had died, it was Martha who met the Lord (she met the lord!) and spoke with him. Not only that, but after she chastised him (completely out of place to complain to the Lord, right? We would never do that), it was Martha who was honored to make the great profession of faith. What an exalted role she played in Christ’s life.
[1] The picture is “Martha, Mary, and Lazarus of Bethany” iconifer and date are unknown.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio 405/607
[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] McKenzie, John L., Dictionary of the Bible, Macmillan Publishing, 1965, p. 807.
[5] NAB footnote on Psalm 69.
[6] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p. 129.
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