1 John 4:7-16 / John 11:19-27 or Luke 10:38-42 (2019)
If cooks and chefs are ever in need of a patron saint, they need not look further. And not just cooks and chefs, but also homemakers and those in the hospitality industry.
Because St. Martha would be the first and obvious saint for those in these professions.
Indeed, her name means "The mistress" or "the lady", from the feminine of "master", and in many obvious ways, she lived up to her name.
In the gospel of Luke, she was caught up with all the serving and got distracted and complained.
And Jesus gently chided her that she worry and fret about so many things but only one was needed.
In the gospel of John, Martha was again seen to be complaining and even blaming Jesus for not coming earlier, otherwise her brother Lazarus would not have died.
But it was she who made that profound faith statement : Yes Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who has to come into this world.
St. Martha was of great service to others, yet she was also a woman who put her faith into her service and her life.
So she is not just Martha but St. Martha. May we learn from her to serve with faith, so that in all people and in all things, it is Christ whom we are serving.