Feast of Saints Martha and Mary – July 29


These two sisters welcomed Jesus to their home in Bethany and later led Jesus to the tomb of their brother Lazarus.

Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha and Mary, were close friends of Jesus and they were his disciples. Luke tells of Jesus' visit to Martha and Mary:

"Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:38-42).

In this part of the Gospel of Luke, we learn how to be disciples of Jesus. What is the "better part" that Mary has chosen? She trusts, she does not worry and she radiates the calm of faith. Martha must learn from her sister how to accomplish her service with the same attitude – not to be distracted or worried. Rather she is called to transform her very much needed service into a committed attachment to the Lord.

In the Gospel of John, Martha rose from her mourning over her dead brother and went to greet Jesus as he and his disciples arrived in Bethany. She said to Jesus: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him" (John 11:21-22). Jesus proclaimed to her: "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26). She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world" (11:27). Martha then went immediately to call her sister, Mary, and together with the other villagers they witnessed the resurrection of their brother Lazarus.

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