St. Martha, disciple of the Lord

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38

Moses did this;

He did exactly as Yahweh had commanded him. The Holy Tent was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year. Moses set up the Holy Tent. He fixed the bases for it, put up its frames, put its crossbars in position, set up its posts. 

He spread the tent over the Holy Tent and on top of this the covering for the tent, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. He took the Statement and placed it inside the ark. He set the poles to the ark in place and put the mercy Seat on it. He brought the ark into the Holy Tent and put the screening veil in place; thus he screened the ark of Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 

Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the Glory of Yahweh filled the Holy Tent. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because of the cloud that rested on it and because of the Glory of Yahweh that filled the Holy Tent.

At every stage of their journey, whenever the cloud rose from the Holy Tent the people of Israel would continue their march. If the cloud did not rise, they waited and would not move their camp until it did. For the cloud rested on the Holy Tent by day, and a fire shone within the cloud by night for all the House of Israel to see. And so it was for every stage of their journey.

 

Ps 84:3, 4, 5-6a &8a, 11

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊    

John 11:19-27 (or Luke 10:38-42)

 Many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to offer consolation at their brother’s death. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him while Mary remained sitting in the house.  And she said to Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But I know that what­ever you ask from God, God will give you.”  Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha replied, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection, at the last day.”   But Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection; whoever believes in me, though he die, shall live.   Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

 Martha then answered, “Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.”

 

Gospel Reflection：

There are natural Martha and natural Mary in our faith community. It depends on the personal make up one has. We focus in today’s gospel the person of Martha. She who springs into action always unlike her sister Mary who prefers to quietly stay in the background.

When she hears that Jesus is coming, she goes out immediately to meet Him. She cannot stay in the house to wait. How many of us are like Martha? We tend to express our faith through action rather than contemplation.

Although Jesus says that Mary takes the better part when Mary sat and listened to Him while Martha was busy with works of hospitality, still the role of the Martha in our faith community is important. They are the first to act when situation calls for it. They may need the art of contemplation before action first but they already have one half of the spiritual life. All they have to do is learn the art of listening before acting to complete the loop.