By CAROLE BRESLIN
A popular pilgrimage among the Catholics of southern France takes visitors to the Grotte de la Sainte-Baume, located in the hills of Provence about 20 miles east of the port of Marseilles. To reach this holy site, the driver must cover miles of winding, ascending roads to the foot of the mountain. Then the pilgrim ascends a stairway to the site of the caves where altars and shrines have been built inside to honor the place that legend says is the home of St. Mary Magdalene, Lazarus, and Martha.
According to the legend, these siblings came from royalty. Their father, Syro, was a duke from Syria while their mother, Eucharis, also came from a wealthy family. At the time of Christ, the three siblings possessed three castles: one in Magdala where Mary resided, one covering a significant part of Jerusalem occupied by Lazarus, and the third in Bethany where Martha stayed.
The first mention of Martha in Holy Scriptures is in the Gospel of Luke. “Now it came to pass as they were on their journey that he entered a certain village; and a woman named Martha welcomed him to her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also seated herself at the Lord’s feet, and listened to his word. But Martha was busy about much serving. And she came up and said, ‘Lord, is it no concern of thine that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her therefore to help me’.”
(Both in this passage and in the one where our Lord raises Lazarus from the dead, there seems to be a great familiarity between this family and our Lord. It seems Martha is almost rebuking Jesus both for not having Mary assist her in the serving of the guests, and also for not coming to cure her brother.)
“But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things; and yet only one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the best part, and it will not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:38-42).
First of all, tradition holds that Martha was widely known for serving those in need as well as those who protected the people. In that respect she commonly provided and served food to others. Secondly, Martha seems to be the oldest since she is the one overseeing the preparation of the food and the serving. Thirdly, she is doing the work herself, thinking that there is no greater occupation on Earth than to serve the Lord. Finally, she knows it is hospitable to serve the guests since she is feeding and caring for their bodily needs.
Our Lord, on the other hand, is feeding and caring for spiritual needs. He does not tell Martha that her work is not good or not to be done. He tells her that Mary has chosen the better part. He does not tell Martha that it is the only good to choose but the better part. As St. Benedict wrote in his Rules for the Benedictines, Ora et labora — Pray and work. Prayer comes before any action; both are necessary for the Kingdom of God.
Martha is not a bad person. After all, she is a saint — whose feast day is celebrated on July 29. As St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “There are different gifts but the same spirit. . . . The body is one and has many members” (1 Cor. 12:4, 12). Some must work, others must pray, and it is up to each to discern God’s will.
Martha’s only other appearance in the Bible comes in the Gospel of John, chapter 11. Remember that this is the scene where Jesus comes to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead. Patiently, our Lord leads Martha to realize that He, Jesus Christ, is the Resurrection and the Life. Again, as she is the woman of action, she rushes to meet the Lord. Again we see her closeness to Jesus as she gently chides Him for not coming as soon as they sent word to Him.
In this passage we learn that her sister Mary is none other than the woman who dried the feet of Jesus with her tears after anointing them. Thus, most in the Latin Church have held that the sister of Martha was none other than Mary Magdalen. After Martha confesses her belief that “thou art the Christ, the Son of God, who hast come into the world” (John 11:27), she went away and called her sister Mary, telling her that the Master was calling for her.
As our Lord died on the cross, Martha’s sister was there. After Christ died and the apostles began their preaching, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus sold all their possessions, according to legend. A few years later, they left Jerusalem in a rudderless boat, drifting across the Mediterranean Sea, landing at Marseilles, France.
According to the Golden Legend, Martha settled near Avignon where she tamed a wild beast and led it through the village. She lived there fasting and praying and leading others to Christ until she died in Tarascon. In the 12th century, during reconstruction of the church, some bones were discovered and said to be the relics of St. Martha.
A Croatian sculptor, Francesco Laurana, made a statue for Martha’s tomb. Her relics can be touched through an opening in the base of the sculpture. There are three reliefs, one each for St. Martha and the beast she tamed, St. Mary Magdalen as she is born aloft by angels, and Lazarus as bishop of Marseilles.
There is a town in Villajoyosa, Spain, that also honors St. Martha as its patron saint. When Zale Arraez led the Berber pirates in an attack on the town of Villajoyosa, the citizens prayed to St. Martha. Suddenly a flash flood of water rushed toward the fleet, preventing the pirates from landing at the town, and wiping out the enemy fleet.
Dear St. Martha, in today’s world it seems we are always rushing, always occupied in doing things rather than in being with our Lord. While it is necessary to do work, help us to find a way to do this work in the presence of Christ, with His assistance, for His greater glory. Amen.
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(Carole Breslin home-schooled her four daughters and served as treasurer of the Michigan Catholic Home Educators for eight years. For over ten years, she was national coordinator for the Marian Catechists, founded by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)
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