My husband and I love the process of naming our children. We enjoy the 20-week sonogram discovery of a little boy or a little girl and then embark upon the quest of discovering their name. We read the lives of many different saints until we find the one to whom we entrust our little child. Our oldest son is Simon for Simon of Cyrene, as we are all called to carry the cross with Christ. Isaac was named for the Jesuit martyr, St. Isaac Jogues, who showed remarkable perseverance returning to his mission after being captured, tortured and escaping. And our newest little one is named Martha.
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Martha- a saint for whom we have a lot of affection.
Her home was frequented by Our Lord and His apostles on their journeys and I love to think about the holy bustle that most certainly took place there. We catch a glimpse of her passionate service in the Gospel(Luke 10: 38-42). Note that Jesus does not tell her to stop serving. Rather, it seems that she is called to continue her life of active service in the home while contemplating Our Lord in her heart. It is no wonder that she is the patron saint of single lay women and housewives. Her life of service for Our Lord exemplifies the call of the laity!
We celebrate patron feast days with a feast day cake. It has become family tradition to make a pound cake (my husband’s favorite) sprinkled with powdered sugar. And even if our little Martha Evelyn is only 2 months old, at least the rest of us can enjoy her feast day cake!
(Sweet Martha being baptized by her Uncle)
