Homily: Feast of Martha, Mary and Lazarus
Feast of Martha, Mary and Lazarus (John 11:19-27) “Old Friends”
Whenever we have a friendship circle, we have many kinds of dynamics that go on. If we have three or four friends in the group, it is interesting how conversations change when one person is missing. It is as if some of the energy leaves the room. We also have leaders and followers in any group.
Next week I hope to be traveling to St. Meinrad, Indiana to join with my seminary class for our 40th reunion. It should be an interesting time since we have not been together for at least fifteen years. Several of the guys who were at our silver jubilee are now deceased and there are some who are too ill to come. Whenever we get together, some of the same group dynamics take place. The leaders still lead. The quiet people are still quiet. One pleasant thing is that most of us tolerate each other better. We spent a lot of time together in our graduate studies. Most of the classes we took we had together.
When I consider Martha, Mary, Lazarus and Jesus I think that whenever they got together, they reacted to each other in a certain pattern. Martha seemed to be the friend who drove the action. She was not afraid to say what was on her mind. Lazarus never speaks in the gospel. Mary seems to defer to her sister. Jesus and Martha have the deepest conversations. Perhaps we might imagine them having a few arguments. I think Martha competed for Jesus’ attention with her sister.
It appears, that Martha and Jesus respected one another. Jesus was probably impressed that Martha was always thinking. In the gospel we read today she wants to know where Jesus has been. Why had he taken so long to come and see Lazarus. We detect a little tension, but out of this tension come some of the most reassuring words that we will ever read in the Gospels. “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do I have a friendship group that is special to me? Who are they?
2. Is there someone who is missing from this group? How has that changed the group.
Dear Parishioners,
Hopefully, you have noticed our new WEB page. Mandle Design has put this page together for us. We hope that it offers many amenities that our old site did not. With any new technology there are things that need to be refined. I understand that there have been some problems with Facebook. We are trying to get those ironed out. The new site fits better on a smart phone. People will be able to cue it up anywhere they may be and find their way to our door.
One way we will pay for this site is that we are selling some ads. If you are interested in buying an ad, please contact Melissa at our office and she will keep you informed about this. We will only have limited ads. Our page has high traffic, so this is a great way to advertise.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark