The Roman Catholic Church keeps the memorial of Sts. Mary, Martha and Lazarus on 29th July. Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus are Patron Saints of Siblings. In its 2021 decree on combining veneration of Mary and Lazarus with Martha, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments said, “In the household of Bethany, the Lord Jesus experienced the family spirit and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and for this reason the Gospel of John states that he loved them. Martha generously offered him hospitality, Mary listened attentively to his words and Lazarus promptly emerged from the tomb at the command of the one who humiliated death.”
Mary, Martha, and their brother, Lazarus, lived together in Bethany, a small town in Judaea, near Jerusalem. They were faithful followers of Jesus, and Jesus loved them very much. There is a lot to learn from these siblings. Jesus came to their home simply as a welcomed guest, rather than as one celebrating the conversion of a sinner like Zacchaeus or one unceremoniously received by a suspicious Pharisee. The sisters felt free to call on Jesus at their brother’s death, even though a return to Judea at that time seemed to spell almost certain death. This family believed Jesus was the Messiah and saw Him bring their brother back to life. Jesus spent some of His last days on earth in their comfortable home. The story of Mary, Martha and Lazarus gives us amazing insight into their personalities and teaches us some important lessons.
MARTHA
Martha’s great glory is her simple and strong statement of faith in Jesus after her brother’s death. No doubt Martha was an active sort of person. On one occasion, she prepares the meal for Jesus and possibly his fellow guests and forthrightly states the obvious: All hands should pitch in to help with the dinner. The Lord recognizes that Martha is “worried about many things,” also noting that Mary, who has spent the preparation time at Jesus’ feet listening to His words “has chosen the better part.” John 12:1-8 describes Mary’s anointing of Jesus’ feet at Bethany, an act which he praised highly.
Saint Martha is a Patron Saint of Cooks, Homemakers, Restaurant servers. Martha is encouraging us to believe in Jesus Christ that He is the resurrection and life, to be active in faith and in work and to welcome our guest with full dignity and love.
MARY
Mary of Bethany is one of the most beautiful characters in all of Scripture, and we can learn valuable lessons from studying her life. We find about Mary of Bethany at three places in the Gospels: Firstly, Luke 10:38-42 (Jesus visits Martha and Mary), Secondly, John 11:1-44(Death of Lazarus and Jesus raises Lazarus to life) and Thirdly, John 12:1-8 (Mary of Bethany anoints Jesus).
Mary of Bethany teaches us that those whose priority in life is Christ, the knowledge of Him, and nearness to Him have chosen what will last through eternity. Those who are distracted with the mundane and earthly are building upon the foundation which is Christ with “wood, hay and straw,” materials which will not stand the fires that come to us in times of testing, nor will they be remembered in eternity. When we sorrow and grieve, our greatest comfort is found in Jesus, whose compassion is boundless. When we place our hand in the nail-scarred hand, we find comfort, peace and security.
Mary of Bethany by focusing on Jesus foresaw her spiritual well being. She focused on Jesus and by gaining Jesus, she gained eternal life on earth. How often do we miss spiritual truths because we are self-focused and overly concerned for our rewards, our status and our reputation among men?
We may not have Jesus sitting in our living rooms in person, but we have His Word, the Bible, and from it we have all the knowledge and understanding we need to live a life of secure and confident faith like Mary of Bethany.
LAZARUS
Lazarus, Hebrew Eleazar, (“God Has Helped”), either of two figures mentioned in the New Testament. The miraculous story of Lazarus being brought back to life by Jesus is known from the Gospel According to John (11:1–44). Lazarus of Bethany was the brother of Martha and Mary and lived at Bethany, near Jerusalem. The raising of Lazarus is the last of the miracles or ‘signs’ of Jesus’ divinity which John relates. It is clearly offered to us as the summation of Jesus’ divinity, representing his ability to conquer death itself, through bringing the dead back to life.
The raising of Lazarus teaches us that, Jesus holds eternity in His hands, so He alone should be trusted with our eternity. When God seems to be doing nothing, He may be doing more than you could ever imagine. Jesus had declared that Lazarus’ sickness was for the glory of God. In the story of Lazarus, Jesus speaks one of the most powerful messages ever: “Whoever believes in Jesus Christ, receives spiritual life that even physical death can never take away.” Lazarus and his sisters believed and Lazarus received a new life and a spiritual life.
-Fr. Leslie Gomes