St. Martha - July 29th

  

Today is the feast of St. Martha. In the Gospel today, she is not the busy hard working cook, but rather a woman of faith. And in fact makes four great acts of faith.

She made her first act of faith believing the Lord could have worked a miracle to heal her brother, Lazarus, she said, “Lord if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Her faith was imperfect, because it was not necessary that Our Divine Lord be present to work a miracle, as was the case of the centurion’s servant.

She then made her second act of faith believing Jesus could raise the dead to life. She said, “But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give you.”

When Jesus said, “Your brother will rise”, she makes a third act of faith, as she says, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Her act of faith indicates she believes in the resurrection at the end of the world, which even the Sadducees, did not believe.

The tender love of Jesus for Martha, is revealed in His conversation with her. Our Blessed Lord aims at increasing her faith in Him, by his declaration, “I am the resurrection and the life and whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives, and believes in me will never die.”

She then responds with her fourth and greatest act of faith, “I have come to believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

Bishop McEvilly, in his commentary on the Gospel of John states, ‘She believes Jesus to be the natural Son of God, God Himself and all that He has taught is true, and that He is the Resurrection and the life. She also believes Him to be the promised Messiah, and even more then the Messiah, “the Son of the living God” who has come to save mankind.’

When in the future, we think of Martha and the words of Jesus echo in our heart, “Martha Martha, you are worried about many things.” --- may we rather think, “Martha, Martha, what great faith you had. Help to increase my faith, that it may be as strong as yours.”

St. Martha is also associated with the legend of a taming a dragon.

Tradition holds that Martha’s brother Lazarus fled Jerusalem amid Christian persecution following the martyrdom of St. Stephen. His sisters, Mary and Martha, left Judea to assist him in proclaiming the Gospel in various lands. The three went to Cyprus, where Lazarus became the first Bishop of Kition (modern day Larnaca, a port city on the south coast of Cyprus). All three died in Cyprus.
Medieval popular piety presents a fuller picture of the saint. The story of Martha and the dragon comes from the Golden Legend of Blessed Jacobus de Voragine. According to this legend, Martha and her sister, Mary Magdalene, traveled to Marseilles, France, after the Ascension of Christ. In the town of Tarascon, Martha encountered a dragon referred to as the "Tarasque" in French (Tarascurus in Latin). The Golden Legend portrays it as a beast from Galicia; a great dragon, half beast and half fish, greater than an ox, longer than an horse, possessing teeth sharp as a sword. Holding a cross, Martha anointed the dragon with holy water. Using her sash, she led it through the village.

As we prepare to receive the resurrected Jesus in Holy Communion. Let us ask Our Lord to increase our faith in Him. And in union with Martha, and with hearts full of faith, may we gaze upon Jesus in the Eucharist, here on the altar, and say with her: “I have come to believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world.”