Martha was the sister of Mary of Bethany and Lazarus. In the West, her feast day comes a week after that of St Mary Magdalene because of the old and probably erroneous tradition that Mary Magdalene was the same person as Martha’s sister.
Modern scholarship having made matters clearer, Martha, Mary and Lazarus have since 2021 been celebrated together on this day, which was formerly assigned to Martha alone.
Did Lazarus live for long after his resurrection? When Jesus again visits the house of Martha, we hear only of the argument about whether it is better to listen to the LORD (Mary) or to work hard and make him welcome in practical ways (Martha) and Lazarus is not mentioned.
Lazarus repays reflection. His resuscitation forms such a key part of salvation history – which is why it has a Sunday in Lent dedicated to it – that it is easy to forget Lazarus himself. But as Monsignor Ronald Knox says somewhere, he deserves our sympathy and not only our envy, because this was not a resurrection. Lazarus was still mortal and he had his dying to do all over again at some point in the future. What Lazarus thought of being brought back to Earth is not recorded. The presence of the incarnate Lord must have made up for the postponement of Heaven, but – where less dramatic circumstances are concerned – we should think of Lazarus when we prepare to make spectacular acts of charity on behalf of people who may not necessarily appreciate our interventions.
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