Martha - A symbol of hospitality

 

Is there anyone as an elder sister in the family? Elder sister is always a second mother. Gospel does not record anything about the parents  of Martha. We come to know that she is an elder sister to Mary and Lazarus. Martha would take care of them from the birth onwards, to bring them up in faith and love. 

We meet Martha in both the Gospels of John and Luke. Luke presents Martha as a woman of hospitality and John presents her as the one who announces the resurrection of Jesus. 

Martha was worried about how to show hospitality to Jesus. Jesus says "why are you so worried". Some times it is good to worry, sometimes not. Martha knew how to worry. Jesus also worried in the garden of Getsemani. We need not worry in our life. But we should have fear of God. Sometimes people think that one should not worry, but be happy and enjoy the life. That is epicureanism. Cross is the value of Christian life. “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” —Matthew 6:27.  We need to worry for the essential things, not every thing. 

The mature way of worrying is to direct to Jesus our worries. “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Jesus is the right person you  should show your worries to, not to others, especially not to your enemies. Lamenting to the other is like gossip. 

Build the united family not on earth, but in heaven. His goal is resurrection. Jesus gives Lazzarus his life back, but he dies again. Jesus cried while Lazarus was dead abandoning the family of two girl children. Jesus gave life, but it was just temporary. He died again. So, these worries are all temporary, the main one remains the worry that we should enter the eternal life, by grace of God.

PATIENT BUT OMNIPOTENT GOD Jeremiah 7:1-11. Matthew 13:24-30 (July 23 2022)

Let them grow together

In the gospel reading Jesus gives a parable of the kingdom of heaven. According to the parable a man sows good seed in his field. When everyone is asleep his enemy sows weeds through the wheat. When his servants warn him about the growing weeds he tells them to let the wheat and weeds grow together.

God's providence, God's knowledge, God's patience - these three elements are the values of the kingdom of heaven.

(a) God's providence

God does not keep his land - that is, the world - bare and empty. He fills it with goodness and takes care of it. He is the fountain of our life.

(b) God's knowledge

God knows about the evil in the world, and its origin. Kingdom of heaven is not an entity that is isolated from the evil, but to be amidst the evil, yet untouched by it.

(c) God's patience

God does not intervene immediately to pull up the weeds. The weeds when left by themselves tend to grow and become hard. Even when they are left to be themselves they don't change their nature. They remain weeds always. Moreover, they take in the water and other resources which are meant for the wheat. And they disrupt the growth of the wheat. However, the master is patient. Despite the outgrowth of evil in the world God does not intervene. He is patient so that people may change their evil nature. Divine providence is not indifference, but God's mercy.

In the first reading Jeremiah prophecies in front of the Jerusalem Temple. He points out to the presence of injustice among the people of Israel and invites them to shed their evil ways. He warns that the comfort zone of the temple will give away shortly. 

The Lord says, "Has this house which bears my name become in your eyes a den of thieves? I too see what is being done."

Through God's providence the people of Israel possessed the land. God knew about their evil deeds. Still God is patient with them.

What are the lessons of these two readings?

(a) We need to retain our good nature, nature of wheat, till the end, even though we need to live among weeds. At times we may be tempted to adopt the nature of weeds. We must not yield to this temptation.

(b) We need to have divine patience in our lives. If the master had reacted upon heeding to the servants he would have pulled up wheat as well. Haste makes waste. When we lose patience we ourselves. Patience is a great ornament.

(c) We need to get rid of the servant mindset. The servant mindset wants perfection, immediate action, and annihilation of a few. But the master mindset seeks nearest perfection, patient waiting, and growth of all. 

(Source: Fr. Yesu)

Mary Magdalene: a symbol of spousal love

The Latin Church made it common to share in the liturgy the three distinct women of which the Gospel speaks; Mary of Bethany also known as the sister of Lazarus, Mary, the sinner (prostitute), and Mary Magdalene or Magdalene of resurrection (Jn 20). The sanctity of Mary Magdalene was venerated by many; the Greek liturgy and Eastern Orthodox traditions portray the figure of Mary Magdalene in depth.  

It was Pope Francis who made this day to be celebrated as a "Feast" on June 3, 2015, when the Congregation for Divine Worship issued a decree. The Pope made this decision “to signify the importance of this woman who showed great love to Christ and was so loved by Christ."

Though today's Gospel and the first reading were written in different times and places, they are closely connected to today’s feast, revealing the love of Mary Magdalene for Jesus. In the Song of Songs, we read that the bride lost her love at midnight, and she searches everywhere; city, streets, and squares. He was not to be found. Finally, she found a watchman to whom she inquired, “Did you find my Lord?" 

I would like to give three understandings for our reflection today:

1. Jesus, the bridegroom: 

Have you read Tom Brown's Da Vinci Code? Or at least did you watch the movie?  According to the book, the bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene extends until now. This controversy was also present in some of the apocryphal books ( like Gospel of Thomas and Story of Magdalene).  We need not enquire about the controversies, but one thing is sure; Jesus allowed her to love him closely and passionately. In John 10, the Lord is allowing her to wipe the feet with the hair. Remember well: No young women can participate in a public Jewish banquet,  and yet she was found there even with unbound hair (prostitute's symbolic act in Jewish parties). In every scene, Mary Magdalene is teaching us to love Jesus with spousal love (like a real bridegroom).

2. Attitude of Searching: 

In the book of Song of Songs, “At midnight, her spouse was missing. She started to search for him at midnight”. In the Gospel of John also, when Mary Magdalene was searching the Lord, it was still dark (Jn 20:1). The Jewish women never appear on the streets alone and it can never happen at midnight. Only prostitutes wander on the streets at midnight. Here she is searching because her heart is seeking him (in pain). She was weeping constantly (the Lord is asking twice why are you weeping?) 

நற்செய்தி நூல்களில் இவர் அழுதுகொண்டிருக்கின்ற இளவலாகவே அறிமுகம் செய்யப்படுகின்றார். அழுது கொண்டே தன் கண்ணீரால் இயேசுவின் காலடிகளைக் கழுவுகின்றாள். கல்லறையின் முன் நின்று கொண்டு அழுகின்றாள். கல்லறைக்கு முதுகைத் திருப்பிக் கொண்டு அழுகின்றாள். 'என்னுடையது கிடைத்துவிட்டது!' என்று எண்ணும்போதும், 'என்னுடையது என்னை விட்டுப் போய்விடுமோ!' என்று எண்ணும்போதும், பெண்கள் அழுதுவிடுகின்றனர்.

Have you noted Mary Magdalene is not searching the body (corpse) of Jesus, but she is searching the Living Lord. She says, "they have taken my Lord (Kirios)". For those who love Jesus passionately, Jesus remains the living Lord. 

3. Stop holding on to me, but go to the Church: The bridegroom says, "Stop holding on to me, ... But go to my brothers" Then we read finally, "Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples. Jesus does not draw all men and women toward him, but directs them to the Church. Jesus is the bridegroom: The Church is the bride. In the Gospel, the wise virgins wait for the bridegroom with burning lamps and the feast that the father throws for the wedding of his son”.