29 July 2025 - homily for Tuesday of the 17th week in Ordinary Time - feast of St Martha, St Mary, and St Lazarus - John 11:19-27

Traditionally, we celebrated the feast day of St Martha in the liturgical calendar on July 29. However, several years ago, the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments at the Vatican announced that the siblings Martha, Mary, and Lazarus would all be celebrated together on that day in the Church’s liturgical calendar.  

Last week, we celebrated the Feast day of St Mary Magdalene, an important leader in the Early Church. Medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas called Mary Magdalene “the apostle of the apostles” for the way she announced Christ’s resurrection to the apostles and to the world. Today, we celebrate these three siblings who were Jesus’ dear friends.  

There are two Gospel options for today’s feast. The Gospel I read today is from the Gospel of John, an account of the raising of Lazarus, in which Martha, in a daring leap of faith, declares her belief in Jesus as the Messiah: “I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” 

There have been a lot of different interpretations and reflections on the Gospel readings concerning Mary and Martha. What we can say is that Martha has a very practical, lived reality aspect of her faith. Martha definitely is faith put into action. When her brother Lazarus dies, Martha is able to say that she believes that her brother will rise again because she knows who Jesus really is: the Son of God.  The Church needs both Marys and Marthas. The Church needs priests of different persuasions as well – theologians, canon lawyers, missionaries, gifted preachers Diocesan priests who are called to serve in small towns, rectors at the cathedrals, intellectual Jesuits, and contemplative Benedictines.  The Church always has had people of action and people of prayer, people of the establishment and the prophetic voices of the poor.  As we celebrate Mary, Martha, and Lazarus today, let us learn from their experiences, and may we look for balance in our lives. May we all be beloved friends of Jesus just as these three siblings were.