Lazarus Wey Rise from Death – from Shutterstock
July 29: Saint Martha, Saint Mary, and Saint Lazarus—Memorial
Century Wey Be First
Martha—Patron Saint for cooks, people wey dey manage household servants, experts wey dey guide people on wetin dem suppose chop, people wey dey care for their home, people wey dey run guesthouses, housemaids, laywomen wey no get husband, people wey dey serve food, and travellers
Mary—Patron Saint for spiritual studies and lectors
Lazarus—Patron Saint for people wey dey dig grave
Canonization before dem establish Congregation
Liturgical Colour: White
Version: Full – Short
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Quote:
For the house for Bethany, the Lord Jesus experience the family love and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and na because of this the Gospel of John talk say He love dem. Martha welcome Him and care for Him with open hand, Mary listen well to His words, and Lazarus come out from the tomb at once when the One wey disgrace death command am. ~Congregation for Divine Worship, February 2, 2021
Reflection: “Jesus love Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5). Na so the Gospel of John describe the relationship wey Jesus get with these brother and sisters wey we dey honour together today. Truly, Jesus love everybody equally with the perfect love of God. So why the Gospel of John single out these three like this? For this Gospel passage, the word “love” no mean only the perfect love wey dey the Heart of Christ for everybody. E still show say Jesus get special relationship with dem, maybe throughout His life, but at least during the time wey He dey do His public ministry. E good make we reflect on this fact, because e help us see small part of how Jesus truly be human being. He make friends. He enjoy to spend time with those friends. As He be both God and human being, He chop with dem, laugh with dem, listen to dem, and love dem. Now, from Heaven, Jesus want extend that human and divine love wey He dey offer perfectly to everybody.
For the Gospel of Luke, after Jesus begin His public ministry for Galilee, for northern Israel, He travel with His disciples go Jerusalem and continue His ministry. Na for that journey dem first introduce Martha and Mary. Luke 10:38–42 tell the story wey we know well, about how Jesus enter their house for Bethany, just some miles east of Jerusalem, where dem invite Him come chop evening food. As Jesus lean back to rest, Mary too settle down with Him, for His feet, dey listen to Him. Martha, wey dey busy dey prepare the food, scold her sister as she ask Jesus make He tell Mary to help her prepare the food. “Lord, You no care say my sister leave only me to do the serving? Tell am make she help me.” Jesus answer, “Martha, Martha, you dey anxious and worry about plenty things. Na only one thing dey necessary. Mary don choose the better part, and dem no go take am from her.”
This passage give us plenty things to reflect on with prayer. First, e clear say Jesus know Martha and Mary well-well. Martha no for talk so directly, almost like say she dey find fault with Jesus, if she no know Jesus well. So, this passage show the real human friendships wey Jesus enjoy. Second, we suppose see Martha work of preparing the food as work wey she do out of love. Even though she dey vex, that one no change the fact say na love make her serve, and her service dey very important for the friendship wey she and her brother and sister get with Jesus to grow. Third, dem dey often use the picture of Mary wey sit for Jesus feet to show the life of quiet prayer and reflection, wey God dey call all of us to sit for His feet in adoration. This “better part” must remind us say nothing better pass prayer or important pass am. The activities and good works wey we dey do no go ever fit compare with adoration of God. Also, na only when we put adoration and worship of God first, good works go follow.
Martha, Mary, and Lazarus first appear for the Gospel of John towards the end of Jesus public ministry, just before the first Holy Week (see John 11:1–44). The way the story take happen make am clear say Jesus and His apostles know these brother and sisters from Bethany well-well. Lazarus dey sick, e don near to die, and Martha and Mary send message make Jesus come. Jesus wait for two days until Lazarus die before He travel go Bethany, talk with Mary and Martha, and then raise Lazarus from death. For this passage, na Martha stand as witness to faith, no be Mary. As she dey talk with Jesus, Martha proclaim, “I don come to believe say You be the Messiah, the Son of God, the One wey dey come into the world.” This na true faith, even inside the painful situation of the death of her dear brother.
Unlike Martha wey run go meet Jesus when E arrive, Mary stay for house with sorrow, and e fit be say she dey vex for mind. When Martha tell Mary say Jesus wan see her, she go out go see Jesus, and e be like say she don lose hope. The Gospel talk say Jesus “trouble for spirit” because Mary and “the Jews wey follow her come” dey cry. The Greek word mean directly say “E snort for spirit,” and e be like say na response to how Mary no get hope. After this, Jesus raise Lazarus from death.
For the next chapter of John Gospel, John 12:1–8, Jesus dey chop again for Bethany with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, just six days before Passover, six days before His death. As E dey there, Mary enter the room with “one litre of costly perfume oil wey dem make from genuine nard wey get sweet smell” and pour am for Jesus feet, then use her hair dry His feet. Even though some people don connect this action with the sinful woman for Luke 7:36–39 wey come dey cry for Jesus feet, the two people fit be the same person, or dem fit no be. But wetin clear be say the anointing of Jesus for Bethany no be the same as the anointing for the house of Simon the Pharisee for Luke 7, wey happen for Galilee for the north. Na Mary of Bethany be the sinful woman? Na she first anoint Am for Galilee, then later do am again for Bethany? We no go ever know for sure, but most scholars today agree say she no be the same person as Mary Magdalene. So, e fit be two or even three women wey people don traditionally dey mistake for one person: Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, and the sinful woman for Luke 7 wey dem no mention her name.
All the three saints wey we dey celebrate today appear for the 1749 (wey dem update for 1916) Roman Martyrology, the official list of saints for the Church. E talk about dem say, “For Tarascon, for France, Saint Martha, virgin, wey welcome our Saviour for her house, and sister of blessed Mary Magdalene and Saint Lazarus.” But na only Saint Martha appear for the General Roman Calendar as memorial until 2021 when Pope Francis add Saint Mary and Saint Lazarus to the July 29 memorial. E also make am clear say Mary of Bethany no be the same person as Mary Magdalene, even though any one of dem fit be the sinful woman.
As we dey honour these saints wey be brother and sisters, think deeply about the real, personal friendship wey the Saviour of the World get with dem as human being. E love dem as God and as man, with love wey pure, perfect, and holy. For plenty ways, na exactly this kind friendship Jesus want get with you. E want make you know Am, spend time with Am, talk with Am, worship Am, and trust Am for good time and bad time. These saints wey be brother and sisters no too different from you. Try follow their example, learn from the holy witness wey dem give, and even from their mistakes. Become friend of our Lord by inviting Am to come chop for the house of your soul.
Prayer: Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, una become friends of Jesus as una Lord and God, and as the Son of Man, wey una open una house and lives to. Abeg, pray for me, make I too open the house of my soul, so that I go become friend of the One wey be my God, and wey be the Resurrection and the Life. Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, pray for me. Jesus, na You I trust.
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(Short Version)
July 29: Saint Martha, Saint Mary, and Saint Lazarus—Memorial
Century wey be first
Martha—Patron Saint of cooks, people wey dey manage house servants, experts for food and nutrition, people wey dey care for their household, people wey dey run guesthouse, housemaids, laywomen wey no marry, people wey dey serve food, and travellers
Mary—Patron Saint of spiritual studies and lectors
Lazarus—Patron Saint of people wey dey dig grave
Canonization before the Congregation dey
“Jesus love Martha and her sister and Lazarus” na how John Gospel describe the special relationship wey Jesus get with the three brother and sisters wey we dey honour today (John 11:5). As Jesus truly be human being, E make friends and spend time with His friends. E chop and laugh with dem, listen to dem, and love dem. From Heaven, Jesus dey extend His perfect human and divine love to everybody.
Na for one journey wey Jesus and His disciples make from Galilee go Jerusalem we first hear about Martha and Mary. Luke 10:38–42 tell the story wey we know well about how Jesus enter their house for Bethany as guest wey come chop. As Jesus recline, Mary sit for His feet dey listen. Martha, wey dey busy dey prepare the food, ask Jesus make E tell Mary to help her. Jesus answer, “Martha, Martha, you dey anxious and dey worry about plenty things. Na only one thing dey necessary. Mary don choose the better part, and dem no go take am from her.”
Martha no for talk to Jesus so directly, almost like say she dey criticise Am, if she no know Am well. Even though she dey frustrated, the work wey she dey do to prepare food na work of love, and e dey important for the friendship wey she and her brother and sister get with Jesus. The picture of Mary wey sit for Jesus feet represent the life of quiet prayer and deep thinking about God wey God dey call all of us to live. The “better part” remind us say prayer na the most important thing. Our activities and good works no reach am at all. Na only when adoration of God come first, good works go follow.
For John Gospel, the three people wey be brothers and sisters first appear near the end of Jesus public ministry, just before the first Holy Week (see John 11:1–44). The story make am clear say Jesus and Im apostles know these three brothers and sisters from Bethany well. Lazarus don near death when Martha and Mary send message make Jesus come. Jesus wait for two days until Lazarus die before E go Bethany, talk with Mary and Martha, and raise Lazarus from death. As Martha dey talk with Jesus, she testify to her faith: “I don come believe say na You be the Messiah, the Son of God, the One wey dey come into the world.”
But Mary stay for house with sorrow, and e fit be say she still dey vex inside. When Martha tell Mary say Jesus wan see her, she go meet Am, and e be like say she don lose hope. The Gospel talk say Jesus come “dey troubled for mind” as Mary dey cry. The Greek word mean, “E blow air hard through Im nose for spirit,” and this fit be how E respond because Mary no get hope. After this, Jesus raise Lazarus from death.
For John 12:1–8, Jesus dey eat evening food for Bethany with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus wey don rise from death, just six days before Passover and Im death. Mary pour “one litre of costly oil wey get perfume” for Jesus feet, then use her hair dry them. Even though some people don connect this action with the sinful woman wey dey cry for Luke 7:36–39, the two women fit be the same person, or dem fit no be. E clear say the anointing of Jesus for Bethany no be the same as the anointing for the house of Simon the Pharisee for Galilee, for Luke 7. Na Mary of Bethany be the sinful woman? She anoint Am for Galilee, then do am again for Bethany? Most Bible scholars for our time agree say she no be Mary Magdalene. So, e fit be say na two, or even three, women people don mix up as one: Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, and the sinful woman for Luke 7.
Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, una make Jesus una friend as una Lord and God, and as the Son of Man, wey una open una house and una lives to. Abeg, pray make I open the house of my soul so I fit make Am my friend, because na Im be my God, and na Im be the Resurrection and the Life. Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, pray for me. Jesus, na You I trust.