20 July 2025 Sunday Week 16 OT Martha’s Household
Gen 18:1-10a; Ps 15; Col 1:24-28; Lk 10:38-42
The Gospel Reading today tells of the very familiar account of the Lord’s visit to Martha’s household. For our reflection, let us consider the dynamics within the household of three siblings, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, in their respective roles. Lazarus may not be mentioned in the pericope, but let us not leave him out in our reflection. We can do this in several dimensions.
1) I remember, in visiting a Franciscan house, a friar noted how St. Francis of Assisi, in establishing a community station, assigns 3 brothers with complementing roles: just like an ordinary household with a father in charge of the house maintenance, a mother in charge of the household tasks, especially the kitchen, and a child in charge of hospitality. They may rotate tasks, but each has their specific role at a given time, so much like Martha’s household.
[In the seminary, we were assigned to different committees each semester. In 10 years of formation, we learned how to do house repairs, prepare food, and organize our liturgies and social gatherings.]
2) For St Bernard, the three siblings at Bethany represent the three vocations within the one monastic vocation. There is the vocation of penitence—that of Lazarus, the active vocation—that of Martha, and the contemplative vocation—that of Mary.
3) Now putting these 2 references together, let us attempt to reflect on how the three siblings may even illustrate our three Cistercian vows of Obedience, Conversation Morum, and Stability:
– Martha, in charge of the household tasks, may be an image of Obedience. St Benedict prescribes that we live in Obedience to the Rule, to the Superior, and to one another. Mary has to attend to the needs of each member of the household. She looks after the good of each one according to the norms of good housekeeping and family values. In a way, she is obedient to the norms and to each one in the household.
– Lazarus, in charge of house maintenance, assures that all amenities in the house are functional. Thus, the need for repairs is when needed. Just like repentance and renewal that lead to new life. Conversatio Morum or fidelity to the monastic life requires a change of attitudes and behaviors to conform to the monastic life at each stage of the monastic journey that ends only in perfect union with God.
– Mary, in hospitality, welcomes and pays close attention to the guest. The Rule of Benedict exhorts that everyone is to be welcomed as Christ. When the Lord visited, Mary lingered and sat by his feet. The Vow of Stability is the commitment to remain in the community one joins. But the ultimate goal really is to stay with the Lord.
Our Cistercian Constitution (3:5) says,
The entire organization of the monastery is directed to bringing the monks into close union with Christ, since it is only through the experience of personal love for the Lord Jesus that the specific gifts of the Cistercian vocation can flower.
Given this, we may regard the Lord’s reply to Martha not as a rebuke or criticism, but as a reminder for us to stay focused on Him, to be close to Him, and attentive to him. All other tasks should only lead to our union, intimacy with Christ- our only monastic, and basically, Christian goal. We seek only Christ and therefore should be ready to welcome him whenever and however he presents himself.
St Paul, in his Letter to the Colossians, says, “the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past has been manifested to his holy ones, to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory … it is Christ in you.”
Opportunities to encounter Christ abound, for He has made Himself accessible. He is Emmanuel, God-with-us. The Church enjoins us to encounter Him in the Sacraments. In the Gospel, Jesus presents himself as needy, saying that whenever we attend to their needs, we are serving him. Thus, those who care for the sick serve Christ. And Christ, as the healer, is also encountered by the sick in those who care for them.
In the First Reading, we heard the account of how the Lord visited Abraham by the terebinth of Mamre. Unknowingly, Abraham and Sarah extended hospitality to the Lord. And they were blessed.
The challenge for us today is to be welcoming to Christ, however he manifests himself to us. Just like in the household of Martha, let the Mary in us always remain in the Lord’s presence, attentively listening to Him; let the Martha in us serve him, and let the Lazarus in us also make sure all our faculties are in good shape- attitudes and behavior renewed as He calls us forth.
Let us pray that, like Paul in the early Christian era, we may always and only present Christ to all. May we be blessed in doing so, as we likewise become a blessing to others.
