Today we gather to honor the memory of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, three individuals intimately tied to the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus. As we celebrate their lives, we also reflect on the profound relationships they had with Jesus, particularly highlighting Mary Magdalene as a central figure in our reflections today.
In our first reading from the Book of Jeremiah, we hear a vivid metaphor: the loincloth, once beautiful and close to the body, becomes rotted and worthless after being hidden away. This powerful imagery serves to remind us of God's desire for a close relationship with His people. He longs for us to cling to Him and to be transformed by that relationship. And yet, just as the people of Judah turned away from God's commands, we can also stray, allowing our pride and stubbornness to distance us from Him.
Now, let us turn to the story in the Gospel of John, which poignantly captures the essence of our relationship with Jesus through the interactions between Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. When faced with the death of their brother Lazarus, Martha and Mary respond in very different ways. Martha rushes out to meet Jesus, a woman of action who confronts Him with her grief and a hint of her faith: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” She expresses disappointment, but also an unshakeable trust in His power. In her dialogue with Jesus, she declares her belief in the resurrection, leading to one of the most profound affirmations of faith in the Gospel: “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
Mary, on the other hand, stays at home, enveloped in her sorrow. In her being, she embodies the contemplative aspect of faith. When Jesus finally approaches, she falls at His feet, expressing her grief in unguarded emotion. Mary’s response captures the heart of our human experience — the pain of loss, the yearning for divine presence, and the vulnerability that comes with true faith.
Both sisters, in their own ways, reveal different dimensions of the same commitment to the Lord. Martha’s faith manifests in action and dialogue, while Mary’s manifests in deep contemplation and connection. Both paths lead them to Jesus — the source of hope and life.
In representing Mary as Mary Magdalene, we see further how earthly struggles and divine love intersect. Mary Magdalene’s life was marked by profound brokenness and restoration. The woman from whom Jesus cast out seven demons is a powerful image of transformation through Christ. Like the loincloth, she had been hidden away, tarnished by her past, but through her encounter with Jesus, she emerges renewed and capable of love, becoming a faithful witness to the resurrection. She is the first to encounter the risen Lord, entrusted to share the greatest news of all.
Today, let us consider how we, like Martha and Mary, may respond in our moments of grief, uncertainty, and doubt. Christ invites us into a relationship not limited to our understanding of success and progress. He invites us to bring our whole selves — our actions, our sorrows, our trust — to Him.
As we commemorate Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, let us remember that the essence of faith is a dynamic interplay of belief and relationship. May we strive to be as devoted as Martha, affirming our faith through our actions, and as contemplative as Mary, surrendering our hearts to Christ in moments of sorrow.
Let us cling to the Lord as He longs for us to cling to Him, emerging from our trials renewed and transformed. And let us take to heart the message of hope that Jesus gives us: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me will never die.”
May we all grow in faith, hope, and love as we seek to emulate the lives of these holy saints. Amen.
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