"Jesus loved Martha, and her sister Mary, and Lazarus" (John 11:5)

Three chapters from the Gospels mention Saint Martha: Luke 10:38–42; John 11:1–53; and John 12:1–9. These texts show the kind of friendship the Lord Jesus had with Martha and her siblings, Mary and Lazarus.

While sitting at the feet of the Lord, "listening to Him speak," Martha troubles herself with serving Him, a concern that her sister Mary does not share in the gospel of Luke. The Lord responds to her complaint that her sister is not assisting her in serving, saying, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

Jesus, who stresses the value of thinking about Him before everything, puts her excessive anxiety in serving in perspective.

She does, however, appear once more in John outside the tomb of her brother Lazarus, who had passed away four days earlier, where she receives the Lord's revelation that "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die."

She responded, "Yes, Lord," when the Lord asked her if she believed this. Her strong faith is demonstrated when she says, "I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world." Her brother Lazarus's later resurrection by Jesus validates her belief.

In the third and last time, Martha reappears in John at a Bethany home where Jesus was lounging at a table with her brother Lazarus following his resurrection. The Gospel of John states that "Martha served" during supper. The same work that she was doing when we first saw her is shown here, but this time it is evident that her service is motivated by her faith. Additionally, the brief description highlights the quiet and calmness of her work, in contrast to the tension and anxiousness she previously demonstrated. Here, Martha—whom we saw serving in Luke and then believing earlier in John—expresses her conviction that serving the Lord is a worthy endeavor. Because "Martha served," she exemplifies the Christian way of life for us.

Saint Martha is revered as the patron of housewives, servants, waiters and cooks.

Other Saints of the Day
Saint Seraphina
Saint Faustinus
Saint Lazarus of Bethany
Saint Olaf of Norway
Saint William of Saint-Brieuc