The sibling saints (copy) (copy)
On January 26, 2021, the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments issued a decree that Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus would share July 29th as their feast day. Cardinal Robert Sarah, who was then Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, wrote in the decree, “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.”
Cardinal Sarah also noted that the Roman Martyrology and some older church calendars commemorate the three siblings on that day. So, the decision was taken from a long tradition of honoring Martha, Mary, and Lazarus for their relation as family and their friendship with Jesus.
In the streaming series “The Chosen,” winner of this year’s Christopher Spirit Award, the siblings offer hospitality to Jesus and His followers upon their arrival in Bethany. Bringing the Gospel account to life with a full imagining of a gathering around a meal, Martha waits on the entire group while Mary sits in awe of Christ’s teachings. In Luke 10, when Martha complains about Mary not helping her, Christ says, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.”
The writers of “The Chosen” extrapolate from this Gospel account to show that Christ’s words were not a rebuke of Martha’s hard work but instead pointed to a deeper reality. In their dramatization, Christ concludes the instruction by saying, “I don’t want you distracted from being able to be present with Me and the friends that I have brought. I’m inviting you to something that is better. To sit at My feet, listen carefully to My words, and devour them as a meal more nourishing than actual food.”
It’s a beautiful lesson that reminds us Christ is the one who brings all things into harmony in our lives, including our hard work and the fruits of our labors. Only when we place Him above all other things can we be fully nourished in body, mind, and spirit.
In John 11, we read of Christ’s return to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead. Here it is Martha who goes to Christ first and makes the pledge of faith, saying, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.”
In John 12, Christ returns to Bethany for a final time, and Mary anoints his feet with oil shortly before His crucifixion. When Judas rebukes her over the cost of the oil on the grounds it could be sold and proceeds given to the poor, Christ says, “Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of My burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have Me.” Here again we see Christ putting the things of this world in their proper place. How wise these siblings were to welcome Him into their lives because He blessed them with His peace, His wisdom, and His healing power.
Let us pray for the intercession of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus on their shared feast day of July 29th, so that we might have the wisdom to welcome Christ into every aspect of our relationships to bring all things in our lives into harmony with God.
For free copies of the Christopher News Note Talking to God, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org.
