C: 16th Sun of OrdTime (21 July 2019) RECLAIMING MARTHA'S VIRTUES (LK 10:38-42)

Martha is often beheld pejoratively especially in comparison to her sister Mary. While she is presented as too concerned with material things, her sister is spiritually attuned to Jesus alone in contemplation and prayer. Our gospel today is the main basis for this negative portrayal, specifically as Jesus himself said: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Lk 10:41-42). Now, we ask: Is this pericope telling enough for us to conclude that Martha falls short of being an exemplary disciple of Jesus, while Mary stands true to it?

If we look in the gospels by and large, we can read in the Gospel of John that Jesus displayed equal fondness of both sisters, in fact “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (Jn 11:5). Interestingly, at the death of Lazarus, Jesus came over to Bethany but before reaching that town it was Martha who personally “met him, while Mary stayed at home” (v. 20) and uttered one of the most important doctrines on Jesus’ identity: “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world” (v. 27). Indeed, Martha is exhibited by John as a woman of faith, probably superior to her sister’s faith, at least in this episode.

Sometime after raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus dined with the siblings in their home in Bethany. The evangelist describes the scenery there: “Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair” (Jn 12:2-3). What we notice here is that both Martha and Mary were busy with domestic errands, the former was preparing food while the latter was washing Jesus’ feet. Meanwhile, it was Lazarus who was conversing with Jesus, which as per our Lukan gospel today, is the more important thing to do. Nonetheless, Jesus did not reprimand any of the sisters for not choosing to do what their brother Lazarus was doing.

The gospels of Luke and John, hence, paint the person of Martha differently. Whereas she is presented as a busy-body in Luke, in John she is a proactive leader like Peter who would act immediately, answer Jesus’ questions readily, and be sensitive to the needs of everybody. If we bear in mind Martha’s leadership qualities as we read our gospel today, we can better understand her actions; she was simply doing what normal leaders do: seeing to it that all things are properly addressed to and that members are delegated with duties to perform. These traits of Martha are not to be despised, on the other hand, they should be lauded yet must be put into a proper perspective, i.e. she should not be too worried with their performance.

In the same way as Peter was reprimanded by Jesus several times for his tactless words and reckless actions (cf. Mt. 16:23; 26:75; Mk 14:37; Jn 13:8; 18:11), Martha was also corrected by Jesus for being too anxious of many things. Yet, despite their impulsiveness, Peter and Martha were both able to proclaim rightfully Jesus’ Messianic identity in Mt 16:16 and Jn 11:27, respectively. In the history of the Church both were highly revered as pillars of the faith. As a matter of fact, Martha is honored as a saint among Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans (July 29 as her feast day) and even in the Eastern Orthodox (June 4 as her feast day). She is celebrated as the patronness of servants, cooks, inn-keepers, single-laywomen and travelers.

Indeed, Martha is a true leader, this fact should not be discounted. Similarly, all leaders today have vital roles to play in the society that should not be undermined. But Jesus’ message to Martha must be put into their hearts: they must always discern on a daily basis what are the more important things of life, not simply performing routine tasks which are merely trivial.

- Rex Fortes, CM