Saint Martha, Virgin
S. Marthae Virginis
Saint Martha of Bethany, sister of Mary and of Lazarus, welcomed Our Lord into her home and made before His Resurrection of her brother one of the great confessions of faith in the Gospel.
Saint Martha of Bethany is well known to every reader of the Gospel as the sister of Mary and of Lazarus, and as one of the dearest friends of Our Lord. In her house at Bethany, near Jerusalem, Jesus was received with loving hospitality, and the Evangelist Saint John tells us plainly that “Jesus loved Martha, and her sister Mary, and Lazarus” (John 11:5). Her feast is kept on the twenty-ninth of July.
The friend of Christ in the Gospel
Saint Luke records the scene that has made her name a byword for active service: while Martha was “busy about much serving” to honour her guest, her sister Mary sat at the Lord’s feet to hear His word. When Martha asked that her sister be sent to help her, Our Lord answered gently, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful, and art troubled about many things: but one thing is necessary. Mary hath chosen the best part” (Luke 10:41–42). The Church has long seen in the two sisters the images of the active and the contemplative life, both pleasing to God, with the loving attention to Christ as the one thing necessary.
It is Saint Martha, too, who speaks one of the noblest confessions of faith in all the Gospel. When her brother Lazarus had died and the Lord came to Bethany, Martha went out to meet Him, and to His words, “I am the resurrection and the life,” she answered: “Yea, Lord, I have believed that Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God, who art come into this world” (John 11:27). Then she beheld her brother called forth alive from the tomb.
Her veneration
From early times Saint Martha has been honoured as a model of faithful service and gracious hospitality, and a venerable tradition of Provence in southern France cherishes the memory of her labours there in later years. She is the patroness of housewives, cooks, and all who serve, and of innkeepers and those who offer hospitality. Her feast reminds the faithful that the humble work of the household, offered for love of Christ, is itself a holy thing, and that service and faith are joined in the heart of the friend of Jesus.
The Collect
Hear us, O God our Saviour, that as we rejoice in the festival of blessed Martha, Thy Virgin, so we may be schooled in the affection of devout love.
Exáudi nos, Deus salutáris noster: ut, sicut de beátæ Marthæ Vírginis tuæ festivitáte gaudémus; ita piæ devotiónis erudíamur afféctu.
Patronage
She is the patroness of housewives, cooks, servants, and all who offer hospitality, including innkeepers.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar her memorial on 29 July now also commemorates her sister Mary and her brother Lazarus.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Martha?
Her feast is kept on 29 July in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal, as a Third Class feast. In the modern calendar the same day is the memorial of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.
Who was Saint Martha?
She was the sister of Mary and Lazarus of Bethany and a beloved friend of Our Lord, who was often welcomed into her home. She is remembered for her loving service and for her great confession of faith in Christ as the Son of God before the raising of Lazarus (John 11:27).
What is the “one thing necessary” in her story?
When Martha was busy serving and asked that her sister Mary help her, Our Lord said that Mary, who sat listening to Him, had chosen “the best part” (Luke 10:42). The Church sees in the sisters the active and contemplative lives, with loving attention to Christ as the one thing necessary.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
These pages are offered with love for the saints and for all who seek them. If anything here should need correcting, we humbly beg your pardon and ask your help — kindly write to [email protected], and we will mend it as soon as we can.
Receive the coming feasts, Mass times, and reflections from our community — sent with care, never spam.