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Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus
John 11:19–27 or Luke 10:38–42
Today, the Church remembers three people whom Jesus loved:
Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.
They appear in three Gospel scenes.
In the Gospel of Luke, Martha and Mary welcome Jesus into their home.
Martha serves.
Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to His word.
Lazarus is not mentioned there.
In the Gospel of John, all three appear in the great story of Lazarus being raised from the tomb.
And later, Mary anoints the feet of Jesus, while Lazarus sits at table with the One who called him back to life.
Three people.
Three ways of being close to Jesus.
Lazarus says nothing.
Not one word is recorded from him.
And yet, his silence proclaims the power of the Gospel.
He is alive.
That is his witness.
Sometimes, the strongest testimony is not a speech.
It is a life that God has touched.
Mary also often speaks without words.
In Luke, she sits and listens.
She receives the word.
She allows Jesus to be the center.
Many ancient commentators saw in her an image of contemplation, prayer, and the quiet heart that knows how to listen.
In John, Mary again speaks more by action than by words.
She anoints the feet of Jesus.
She prepares Him, without fully knowing it, for His burial.
Her love becomes gesture.
Her faith becomes perfume.
Her silence fills the house.
Martha is different.
Martha speaks.
She serves, complains, questions, and argues.
She asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her.
She says to Him:
“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
She also worries when Jesus commands the stone to be taken away.
And yet, Martha believes.
She accepts correction.
She serves the Lord.
She confesses Him as the Christ, the Son of God, the One who is coming into the world.
Perhaps many of us can recognize ourselves in Martha.
We love Jesus, but we complain.
We serve Him, but we become anxious.
We believe, but we also question.
We want to help, but sometimes we want everyone else to serve in our way.
And still, Jesus loves Martha.
Saint John tells us clearly:
“Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.”
This is one of the most beautiful lines in the Gospel.
Jesus loved this family.
Not in an abstract way.
Not from a distance.
He loved them personally.
He entered their home.
He shared their friendship.
He wept at their tomb.
He received their service, their silence, their questions, their love.
This is good news for us.
Jesus does not love only perfect disciples.
He loves the silent ones, like Lazarus.
He loves the listening ones, like Mary.
He loves the restless ones, like Martha.
He loves a real family, with different personalities, different ways of loving, different ways of following Him.
Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, pray for us.
Teach us to welcome Jesus into our home.
Teach us to serve Him, listen to Him, and live as people whom He has called from death to life.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Matthew
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Content License
© 2025 Krakus.
Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
(Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial).