Consider St. Martha and her dinner party for Jesus, plus a Prevost family recipe.
I read cookbooks for fun (including this Catholic one). I think St. Martha would too, if she lived in 2026. I like to cull ideas for future cooking.
Consider St. Martha and her dinner party for Jesus. There are so many beautiful lessons for us to ponder in prayer. First, she and her siblings were dear friends of Our Lord — what a blessing! Christ spent quality time in their home in fellowship (not to mention sharing sorrow — “Jesus wept” — before raising his dear friend, Lazarus).
St. Martha’s culinary creations revolved around peaches, honey and homemade bread (and maybe some lemon and mint, if the internet is correct) on The Chosen. And it is likely her recipes also included fish, olives, figs, dates and grapes, which were all staple foods of the time.
In Martha’s footsteps, I enjoy being in the kitchen. I pray when I am there, too, getting in quality time with Jesus — to choose the better part, like Mary.
Pope Leo reflected on this domestic scene last July, noting that Christ “comes to his friends’ house in the midst of a festive atmosphere. One of the sisters welcomes him by serving him, while the other sits at his feet, listening as a disciple would her teacher. As we know, Jesus responds to the first sister’s complaints that she would like some help with the tasks at hand by inviting her to recognize the value of listening (cf. Lk 10:41-42).”
“It would be incorrect, however, to see these two attitudes as mutually exclusive, or to compare the merits of the two women,” the Pope continued, later adding: “Martha and Mary remind us that listening and service are two complementary attitudes that enable us to open ourselves and our lives to the blessings of the Lord. Their example invites us to reconcile contemplation and action, rest and hard work, silence and the bustle of our daily lives with wisdom and balance, always taking Jesus’ charity as our measure, his Word as our light, and his grace as our source of strength, which sustains us beyond our own capacity (cf. Phil 4:13).”
Leo also highlighted St. Augustine’s thought in his homily. Augustine considered Martha’s work, saying, “Who is exempt from the duty of caring for others? Who can rest from these tasks? Let us try to carry them out with charity and in such a way that none will be able to find fault with us.”
Martha certainly had a servant’s heart. She wanted Jesus and her siblings and everyone else who came to their home to enjoy good food and good company. Hospitality is at the heart of a Christ-centered life.
This brings me to Millie Prevost (Pope Leo’s mom) and her recipe for “Messy Josephs” — a Catholicized name for sloppy joes (which she made for the students at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic School, which her sons, including the Pope, attended on the South Side of Chicago). A family friend shared the recipe with CBS Chicago.
I tried the Americana favorite this summer: Ground beef, enveloped in ketchup and other simple-and-tasty additions, on a bun creates a quick and satisfying main meal — at least the Smiths and Prevosts think so. (One note: “Simmer,” to me, meant about 10 minutes. Pro tip: best served with star-shaped tater tots.)
‘Messy Joseph,’ with a side of tater tots.(Photo: Amy Smith)
St. Martha may not have made these, but I think she’d appreciate them. A no-frills meal that can feed a crowd was likely up her alley.
Gathering around the table is a blessing we should all make time for — whether it’s Messy Josephs or your family’s go-to or a new recipe that’s being served.