Saint of the day July 29: Saint Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Catholic Saints

Every July 29, the Catholic Church celebrates Martha, her sister Mary and her brother Lazarus, friends and disciples of Jesus. According to Scripture, the Lord stayed at least three times in the house of the three, in Bethany, a city located a few kilometers from Jerusalem.

Until a few years ago, July 29 was dedicated only to the celebration of Santa Marta. However, starting in 2021 it was established that Saints Mary and Lazarus will also be commemorated on this date. “The Supreme Pontiff Francis, accepting the proposal of this Dicastery, has ordered that on July 29 the memory of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus be inscribed in the General Roman Calendar” (Cardinal Robert Sarah, at that time prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments).

Patronages

Santa Marta is the patron saint of the impossible, of the home, of guest houses; She is also one of the cooks, the housewives, the maids, the hoteliers and the laundresses.

Mary, for her part – sometimes identified with Mary Magdalene or with the woman who wiped the Master’s feet with perfume – is the patron saint of those who live dedicated to contemplation or prayer, as well as of perfume sellers.

Saint Lazarus of Bethany is the patron saint of the dying and the needy.

Lazarus returned to life

Jesus professed a very special affection for his friend Lazarus. Proof of this is that, as the Roman Martyrology says: “Lazarus, Martha’s brother, was the one whom the Lord mourned when he learned that he had died, and the one whom he resurrected” (see: Jn 11).

According to the Gospel, Lazarus had fallen seriously ill and his sisters sent people to warn Jesus—who was not in Bethany—that his friend could die. Jesus, busy with his mission, does not immediately respond to the call and Lazarus dies.

Therefore, if there is a good reason why the faithful turn to Saint Martha to ask for her help in emergencies and difficulties, it is because she moved Jesus with her faith: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ”. She then asks the Master with absolute confidence to bring him back to life: “But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will grant it to you” (see: Jn 11, 22).

Jesus answers: “Your brother will rise again” (Jn 11, 23).

Martha and Mary, twinned by Christ

It is to Martha that the Lord said, while he was staying in her house: “Martha, Martha, you worry and worry about many things; and there is a need for few, or better, just one. Mary has chosen the good part of her, which will not be taken away from her” (Lk 10, 41-42).

Martha, whose desire to serve was authentic, allowed herself to be challenged by Jesus. He showed her the ultimate meaning of everything we do for others, starting with the necessary domestic service: loving God. Therefore, just as she is an example for everyone who wants to fulfill their duties with diligence and responsibility, Mary, her sister, is a model regarding the need for prayer and the close relationship of listening to or contemplating the Word (“the good part”). If work is done without love, it has no meaning; Just as if God is not the center, even the noblest things can cause us to lose sight of what is essential (see: 1 Cor, 13).

Martha today

In 1894, in Antigonish, Nova Scotia (Canada), the congregation of the Sisters of Saint Martha was founded, a religious institution inspired by the figure of the saint of Bethany.

The House of Saint Martha or Residence of Saint Martha, located in Vatican City, adjacent to Saint Peter’s Basilica, is named in honor of the disciple of Jesus. It is a building built in 1996 under the government of Pope Saint John Paul II. The Holy Father ordered that it be the residence of the cardinal electors during conclaves.

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