Martha's Rugged Faith:

Daily reflections 
Rev. Fr. Christopher Ugwuta.
Fri 29th July 2016
 Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus were close friends of Jesus, who often visited their home and went there just a few days before the Passion. Many tend to focus on Jesus' apparent criticism – that her sister Mary had chosen the better part by sitting at his feet and listening to him rather than bustling about attending to the details of hospitality - Luke 10: 38-42. Jesus does not downplay housework; rather, he invites Martha to keep her focus on the life of the spirit even while working and not to let anxiety distract her. He does not preclude Martha's listening to him from the kitchen – where she was preparing a meal for them all. The woman in the kitchen will often know exactly what is going on in the rest of her house. Today we remember Martha's deep, personal faith in Jesus. It is she who believed in “resurrection from the dead” for those who die in faith. When Jesus calls himself the resurrection and the life, promising that they who believe in him will never die, it was at Martha's prompting, as she mourned the death of her brother Lazarus. Responding to her prayer, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and many came to believe in him after this sign of his life-giving power. We can as well experience His power if we have a faith like Martha's.