Together on the Journey: A Weekly Word from Archbishop Hebda
Today, the Church celebrates the feast of three siblings—Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus—who welcomed Jesus into their home in Bethany. It’s a relatively recent feast, introduced by Pope Francis in 2021. Prior to that year, July 29 was only the celebration of Saint Martha. I love how the new feast highlights the ways in which the give and take of everyday family life offers the possibility of true holiness, when we are together committed to welcoming Jesus into our lives and homes.
We know Martha, Mary, and Lazarus primarily through the two famous visits of Jesus to their home recorded in the gospels. On Jesus’ first visit, recorded, in the 10th chapter of Saint Luke’s Gospel, we’re given some insight into the ordinariness of their family, with Martha gently complaining that her sister, Mary, isn’t doing her fair share of the work, choosing instead to sit at the feet of Jesus. I can imagine my brothers and sister saying that about me! Martha, moreover, seems to take it well when Jesus comes to Mary’s defense, noting that she has chosen the better portion (the “one thing” that is necessary).
On the second visit, recorded in the 12th chapter of the Gospel of John, it’s Martha in the aftermath of Lazarus’ burial, who shines, with her extraordinary recognition of Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
I love the ease of their conversation with Jesus. It’s clear that there’s real friendship with him and that it’s mutual. How remarkable that John records that Jesus weeps when he learns that Lazarus has died. There’s real love here. I love how there’s diversity in the family but a unity in their love for Christ. In the aftermath of our pastoral letter focusing on the mysteries of the Upper Room, I have often reflected that the family in Bethany prefigured all three mysteries and dispositions, with Martha’s generous service giving us a model for the washing of the feet, Mary’s contemplative side leading us to adore the Lord present in the Eucharist, and Lazarus’ living testimony to God’s power inspiring us to evangelization.
Martha, Mary and Lazarus teach us that the family home is a crucible for saints. I often wish I had known their parents and could have seen firsthand what they had done right, raising their kids to have open hearts when Jesus came into their lives. As Jesus began to reveal himself as the Son of God, the siblings were quick to follow him.
It’s no accident that we see in our Catholic tradition other siblings who helped each other to be saints. The most notable of course, would be our two sets of sibling apostles, Andrew and Peter, and then Zebedee’s sons, James and John. Though we all know about Saint Peter’s great witness and leadership of the Church, we should not forget that it was his brother, Andrew, who brought him to Jesus. Andrew, you will recall, was a disciple of Saint John the Baptist and was present when John proclaimed Jesus to be the Lamb of God. Saint Andrew was so overjoyed at his encounter with Jesus that he needed to share it with his brother: “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:35, 41-42).
After so many years of living in Italy, I have to confess my fondness for another pair of sibling saints: Benedict and Scholastica. How amazing that they both started religious orders. Given his many responsibilities in founding new monasteries and evangelizing, Benedict would only visit Scholastica in her monastery once a year, and never stayed overnight. One evening, when they were particularly deep in spiritual conversation, Scholastica begged Benedict to stay and continue to talk, but Benedict felt obliged to decline. Never giving up, Scholastica turned to prayer and suddenly a storm appeared that was so severe that Benedict was unable to leave. “I asked you and you would not listen; so I asked my God and he did listen,” she supposedly said to him. A few days later, Scholastica died, and Benedict saw her rising into heaven in a vision, making him especially grateful that they had been able to spend time together.
These great saint examples show us how we can encourage holiness among others, particularly within our families. With whom in our family should we be sharing the joy of Jesus Christ, like Saint Andrew did? Who would benefit from a conversation about faith – even in the midst of a storm – as Saints Scholastica and Benedict did? Could we set an example for others through our prayer lives, as Saint Mary did for Saint Martha? (This is particularly important as parents model prayer lives for their children.) Please join me in asking our “sibling saints” for their intercession in helping us witness to Christ in our homes and families.
Subscribe now to receive Together on the Journey in your inbox every week.
