hen one opens their home in the spirit of St. Martha so that we may become like Mary and sit at the feet of Jesus, one welcomes the Lord Himself. Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Mt 18, 20) One of the goals of this lay apostolate is to pray for the needs of our Church today; most especially for vocations to the priesthood. Through life experiences, prayer and meditation on the life of Jesus Christ, we have developed a devotion that centers on Martha and Mary of Bethany as icons for a living faith and fruitful spirituality today. It is their examples of serving and listening to the Lord, which contemporary women need in order to grow in God’s love. They ask us to ask ourselves: is Jesus important enough to me for me to be Martha or Mary? It is also through sharing Recipes of Faith that we become aware that God is present to us while we fulfill our vocations as wives, mothers and witnesses for Jesus Christ. Often, the woman at work in the home was the central figure in the parables that Jesus told. He comes to us where we are with faith in us that we will help sustain His mission; much like Martha “went and met him” (Jn 11, 20) with faith just before He raised her brother Lazarus from the dead. Our belief is that like Martha and Mary of Bethany, women of faith will continue to serve Jesus Christ who “is the same yesterday, and today and for ever.” (Heb 13, 8)
When we meditate on the Gospel of John and the beginning of Christ’s ministry, we notice that Andrew was among the first to seek out Jesus and where He stayed. Doesn’t He sometimes stay at the home of Martha and Mary of Bethany? Is He not present in the Holy Eucharist? John’s Gospel tells us that Andrew stayed with Him for an afternoon. Then, “He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah!’” (Jn 1, 41) Through witness then, we perpetuate His ministry and we participate as His disciples.
We remember Martha and Mary for their devotion to Our Lord through the work of their hands. For example, Martha prepared the meal for her Divine Guest. Mary anointed His feet with costly perfume. And when we gather to pray, we too offer devotion to Our Lord Jesus through the work of our hands.
