It's the saints like Martha that give me hope for ordinary people like me. So many times we put the saints on a pedestal. We think that they were always perfect, always praying, always doing the right thing.
People tend to do that with their heroes, saintly or otherwise.
But we never get the chance to put Saint Martha on a pedestal. She starts right off by ratting out her sister to Jesus, their honored guest. And Jesus gives it right back. He lets her know that she is just way too stressed out and that she's letting her anxiety get in the way of her hospitality.
I've had way too many "Martha moments," and I'm not talking about Martha Stewart. I'm talking about the Screaming Meemie Party Mom who often inhabits my house before we have company. It isn't pretty. It isn't fun, for me or anyone else. I'm sure Saint Martha wasn't having fun that day either, especially when she was embarrassed in front of all her guests as Jesus took her to task.
She redeemed herself later, though, when she confidently proclaimed her faith in Jesus and who He was.
Saint Martha reminds me that saints are, in fact, real people with real faults, real challenges, real attitudes and real faith.
Saint Martha is the patron of cooks, servants, homemakers, single women, laundry workers, innkeepers, dieticians and travelers.
Read an interview with Julie Davis, another Saint Martha fan, right here!
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1 comment:
We commemorate her earlier in July, IIRC.
Anyway, Happy St. Martha's Day! Holy St. Martha, pray to God for us!
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