17th Week of Ordinary Time C – Tuesday – Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus

The Church, in her tradition, has often understood Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, to be Mary Magdalene. I am of this leaning which was championed by the Latin Fathers as well, like Gregory and Augustine, and Ambrose, because of the implications and the overwhelming evidence in Scripture which favours this association which is a profoundly meaningful one, and today’s feast gives us a powerful lens through which to understand her. Though scholarly debate around her identity has existed over the centuries, the Church has long venerated Mary Magdalene as both the repentant sinner who anointed Jesus and the first witness of the Resurrection. By including her within this family at Bethany, the liturgy does something deeply pastoral and spiritual: it places Mary Magdalene not on the margins, but within a family, not just as a lone follower of Jesus, but as a sister, a woman loved and known within a household of faith, and that is significant.

It means that Mary, once considered lost, isolated, and broken, is not only forgiven and healed—she is seen as an integral part of a close-knit family. Her contemplative spirit, her devotion at Jesus’ feet, her bold witness of the Resurrection—all of this happens within the context of belonging. She is not “just” a disciple or a convert; she is part of a home, a circle of love and support. She has a sister and a brother, and they share a common bond in their relationship with Jesus. That bond is love. How special a gift it is to have family members deeply committed to Jesus alongside us as we journey! How important it is to know that we do not stand alone in the brave and grace-filled spiritual battle we engage in on a daily basis to maintain and strengthen our faith. And what an eternal shame it will be for those of our family members who rather than encouraging us on our journey, tried to snuff out our hope. Let us pray for them for we live by a love unknown to them. Out of love for the One Who is Love itself, Martha, Mary and Lazarus were willing to undergo and suffer all things, but in that spiritual battle, they had one another as a tremendous support. Why do we go to Church? Yes, to receive the Treasure beyond all others, of course. To listen to His Word. Of course. But, we often forget the third important reason - to unite with our other brothers and sisters and be a support for each other. Now, grant it, we don’t talk much to each other, because most times we’re eager to head home, but we need to change this attitude also. We need to get to know each other as family members, and in the virtuous ways that the Lord would desire. To take an interest to help each other in whatever way we can. This is family. This is Church. 

The first reading from Saint John declares it plainly: “God is love.” Not simply that God shows love, or feels loving, but that love is the very nature of God Himself. And this love is not generic—it is personal. The love that Jesus showed to Martha, Mary, and Lazarus is the same love He offers to each of us. He wept for Lazarus. He conversed deeply with Martha. He received Mary’s tears, her perfume, her silence. He knew each of them uniquely, and loved them as individuals and as a family. This is the way He loves us and how he desires us to love all our brothers and sisters in the faith — as family.

And perhaps that’s why this feast is so precious—because it reminds us that holiness can be lived in the context of ordinary human relationships. Holiness is not reserved for the hermit or the mystic or the martyr—it’s also possible at the kitchen table, in the shared burden of grief, in the hospitality of a home that welcomes Christ and in those special greeters when you walk through the doors of the Church.

In today’s Gospel, Martha runs to Jesus after the death of Lazarus. She speaks plainly: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” And Jesus responds not with a lecture, but with love and a promise: “I am the resurrection and the life.” In that moment, their friendship becomes a channel of revelation. Martha’s faith—spoken with pain and hope together—opens the door for Jesus to proclaim one of the greatest truths of our faith.

And where is Mary? In John’s account, she is still at home, sitting in sorrow. Later, she too will come to Jesus, fall at His feet, and weep. And Jesus will be deeply moved. He will weep with them. This is no distant, aloof Messiah. This is God with us. God in the home. God in friendship. God in the tears of sisters mourning a brother.

The Psalm today calls us to “taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” That’s exactly what the family at Bethany did. They tasted His goodness in conversation, in tears, in silence, in raising Lazarus from the tomb, and in simply being together. And so can we.

This memorial—of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus—is also a mirror. It shows us what the Christian life looks like when lived in love. It tells us that family life, friendship, and shared faith are not distractions from holiness—they are its foundation.

Let us then honour Saint Martha, a woman of action and confession; Saint Lazarus, a sign of Christ’s power over death; and Saint Mary Magdalene, not as a solitary penitent but as a sister—part of a family, embraced in love, a woman made whole by mercy and entrusted with the Gospel.

In our own lives, let us treasure those relationships God has given us—our families, our friends, our communities. Let us make room for Jesus in our homes and hearts. And above all, let us remember: the same Jesus who loved that household in Bethany, loves us—deeply, personally, and forever.

Amen.