Martha, Martha

Yesterday the Gospel reading at mass was my favorite reading-- that of Mary and Martha hosting when Jesus came for a visit.  My patron Saint is Martha-- Sean's first due date was on Martha's feast day, and both of my grandmothers (and my middle-namesakes) are Martha.  When we first moved to Charleston and studied for the Bar exam all summer, while suffering our first miscarriage, looking for jobs and trying to help the Groebers renovate an old house, I was (understandably) anxious about many things, like Martha.  We left for Columbia to take the Bar exam on a Sunday.  That was exactly 3 years ago, as the readings that day were the same as yesterday.  I was in mass almost shaking with nerves about the exam (which, I had all but given up studying for in the previous two weeks due to the grief of losing our first baby). When Jesus said "Martha, Martha," you are anxious about many things, but all you need is ONE thing, it spoke straight to my heart, and I tried to let go of the anxiety of the impending exam and everything else weighing on my mind. 

I love this reading for so many reasons.  Martha, corrected by our Lord in this reading, goes on later in the Gospel (John, Ch. 11) to make one of the greatest professions of faith, when she meets Jesus after her brother Lazarus's death. She says "whatever you ask of God, God will give you . . . Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is comign to the world."   Like Martha, my brother also died an untimely death, and Like Martha, I believe that Jesus will one day raise him and we will live together again with the Lord.  Besides this obvious parrallel, I like that Martha is redeemed in her faith when she comes to Jesus this second time, after being made somewhat an example of in yesterday's reading.  We all make mistakes, mess up, and are less contempletive, holy or pious than we should be.  We all also have room and time for redemption, professing our honest faith to the Lord after we have made a mistake.  And what happens after Martha's honest profession?  Her faith is rewarded with Jesus raising Lazarus from death. 

Cody and I also especially enjoy this reading because it speaks of hospitality, which is a value we decided early on in our relationship would be exalted in our marriage.  Our house is continually a work in progress-- we don't have a table big enough to seat our friends, there are consistently baseballs, golf balls and lots of babies' books scattered about the family room, and even more piles of adults' papers on desks and counters.  But, we value being hospitable and like having friends and family over anyway.  Like Martha, we can often get caught up in the physical tasks (and anxieties) of hosting guests-- cooking the meal, washing dishes, cleaning the house, etc etc, but we need to remember that like Mary, what our guests really need is our attention and time being spent sitting and listening to them.  Our guests will remember a loving, attentive conversation long after they forget about the messy laundry room they have to wade through to get to the unfinished guest bathroom. 

On a cute note, after mass yesterday Sean said to me several times "Marsa, Marsa."  During mass he listened attentively and everytime the priest said "Martha" he would turn to me with wide eyes and gasp -- so sweet. 

Just for fun...sweet baby smiling at the camera :)