Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Fr. Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie, MSP - Homily for Wednesday Week 17 Ordinary time - July 29, 2020


WEDNESDAY 29TH JULY 2020
MEMORIAL OF ST. MARTHA
Jeremiah 15:10,16-21 John 11:19-27, or Luke 10:38-42

Today the church invites us to reflect on the life and personality of St Martha. Together with her sister Mary and her brother Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead, they were very close friends of Jesus. He in fact spent his last days before his passion with them.
As we see in the alternative gospel reading of today, Martha was a very active woman, very hospitable and wanting those around her to feel comfortable. When Jesus visited them, she was running up and down to see that Jesus had something to eat. She is the active and agile type that does not wait for others before doing what needs to be done. She is not a lazy type that does everything with prayer but active works too. Martha is therefore a lovely and caring woman.
Martha as we see in the gospel reading, is also a woman of faith. Sometimes we are tempted to think that those who are very active and spontaneous lack spiritual depth. No one can ever tell or measure how much the other is close to God. When Jesus came to raise Lazarus from the dead, it was very obvious that Martha believed in Jesus.  She said, "if you were here, my brother would not have died". She even believed that Jesus could still do something when she said that she believes that whatever Jesus asks of his father, it will be granted. She confessed Jesus to be the Christ, the son of God. She was the one that Jesus told that he is the resurrection and the life.
We pray today that almighty God will grant us the faith he gave to Martha, so that we can also be very much active in the work of the God and our neighbours.
St Martha. Pray for us. Amen
Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie MSP

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