Daily Reflections

July 29, 2011
THE WORRIER is A SAINT

We have often been unkind to Martha, the saint whose feast we commemorate today. Preachers have the tendency to generate more sympathy and admiration for her younger sister, Mary, who opted to sit and listen to Jesus. Many times, we caricature Martha as the incessant doer, the anxious worker who tends to compare her busyness with the seemingly uncaring attitude of her sister, Mary. Biblicists say that Martha was probably the eldest of already orphaned siblings, so she was the one who took charge of things at home whenever important guests like Jesus would come.
But St. John’s Gospel story on the death of Lazarus brings us the positive side of the practical Martha. Amidst the sorrow she felt about the demise of her brother, Martha went out to welcome Jesus who arrived rather late as Lazarus had been buried for four days. It was a Jewish belief that if a person has been dead for four days, his spirit has already left the earth. Hence, any hope for resuscitation is nil. Nonetheless, Martha came out to welcome the tardy Jesus. Mary, the contemplative one, decided to stay at home, probably feeling bad about the whole event.
The practical Martha, with her concern about the daily flow of life, must have said to herself, “Lazarus is dead; life must go on.” For her, there was no room to sulk in pain and grief. Being the eldest, if indeed she was, she needed to buoy the hope and gladness of the rest of the household.
Indeed, without meaning to demean those who are prayerful, it could happen that our prayerfulness can make us detached and unrealistic about the events in life. It could happen that our inclination to meditate and contemplate can make us slow to face up to the harshness of life’s inevitable moments.
Rather than be engaged in the arguments, Martha or Mary, action or contemplation, let us ask for the gift of integration.Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

Reflection Question:
Do your faith and spirituality make you face up or gloss over your pains and trials in life? What is real faith for you?

Lord, I need Your grace to be a contemplative in action.

St. Olaf, pray for us.