Who is Saint Martha of Bethany, sister of Lazarus and Mary?

Santa Marta was born in Bethany, near Jerusalem. She is known to us from the Holy Scriptures as the sister of Lazarus and Mary.

She was a diligent and caring landlady of a house in which Jesus he gladly stopped to take a break from preaching while he was in Judea. Martha appears in the Gospel on the occasion of one of Jesus' visits to their home.

38 While they were on their way, he entered a village and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 She had a sister, named Mary, who, sitting at Jesus' feet, listened to his word; 40 Martha, on the other hand, was completely occupied with many services. Therefore, stepping forward, he said, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me alone to serve? Tell her therefore to help me ». 41 But Jesus answered her: «Martha, Martha, you worry and you worry about many things, 42 but there is only one thing that is needed. Mary has chosen the best part, which will not be taken from her ». Luke 10, 38-42.

Martha's hospitality towards Jesus is commendable but Jesus taught her not to get lost in it but to know how to find the time to listen to the word of God. Jesus taught Martha how to combine contemplation with action, the contemplation of the word of God. God to be incarnated in action.

Even more commendable is Martha's faith in the Lord: “Yes, Lord, I firmly believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who came into the world”, as the evangelist John reminded us. It is not surprising, therefore, that Christians began to worship Martha as a saint soon after her death.