Sermon – Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus (Luke 10:38-42) – July 29, 2026

We celebrate the feast of the Lord's friends Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. In these two women, we can see two types of professional calling that exist in the Church.

One is the contemplative call represented by Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to Him; the other is the active call represented by Martha, who served and, through her work, ensured that others did not have to worry about what to eat when the Lord had completed His teaching.

Both were serving the Lord. Martha was more concerned with the humanitarian aspect. She considered the importance of providing food for Him and others, because a person is not just a spirit, but also has a body that needs to be nourished and cared for.

Here we see religious communities tasked with helping the poor and the sick, teaching, and educating children and young people. These are the ones who serve Jesus, who is hidden within the brother.

Mary, on the other hand, served the Lord by listening to Him and meditating on Him. Here we see meditative religious communities whose purpose is to glorify Jesus in His presence, to meditate on Him, and to pray to Him on behalf of all. They live in monasteries.

The Church needs both professions. Jesus didn't tell Mary to help her sister; nor did he tell Martha to stop serving. But he reminded her that all that was necessary was to do His work.

Jesus wants us to do things out of love for Him. Only in this way do our actions gain meaning.

Let us ask Mary for the grace to do everything out of our love for Jesus.