The Healing Journey

July 29, 2024

The Gospel stories of Martha, Mary and Lazarus offer moving portraits of two sisters and a brother, blessed to be close friends of Jesus, who often visited their home in Bethany.

The stories illuminate the human side of sainthood … and the human side of Jesus, who wept when he heard Lazarus died and who chided Martha when she complained that her sister wasn’t helping prepare dinner because she was at Jesus’ feet, listening to him. “It is Mary who has chosen the better part,” Jesus said.

However, it was the indomitable Martha, who got up and went to Jesus after Lazarus died and insisted, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” And she gave a powerful profession of her faith: “Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

In one final testament of their love, Jesus visited them before his Passion. Mary anointed his feet and wiped them with her hair while Martha served them their last supper together.

A decree issued February 2 last year by the Congregation for Divine Worship, 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.”

Feasts honoring the three saints have a history that goes back centuries. In 1262, the Franciscans began the memorial for St. Martha on July 29. St. Lazarus and St. Mary were not included because it was believed that Martha’s sister was Mary Magdalene, whose feast was observed eight days earlier while St. Lazarus’ feast was on October 17.

The three saints are among the most beloved in the Bible. There is a tradition that after the resurrection, they went to southern France to do missionary work and Lazarus became the first bishop of Marseille before being martyred. Other legends say they journeyed to Syria and Cyprus to spread the Gospel.

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