Homily | July 29, 2026 | A Home Called Bethany | (Episode 213)

We reflect on the Church’s memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus and why it points us toward holiness lived in friendship and family. Bethany becomes our model for a Christian home where service, prayer, and witness make Jesus feel welcome. 
• Pope Francis expanding the memorial and what it teaches about shared holiness 
• Bethany as a real place of rest for Jesus and a model for Christian hospitality 
• Martha and the difference between serving and being anxious 
• Mary and the priority of prayer before work 
• Lazarus as silent proof that Christ raises the dead 
• Jesus asking for belief rather than perfect understanding 
• A closing examen on whether our homes invite Jesus back 

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Transcript

Why This Feast Day Matters

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Today the church celebrates a feast day that is relatively new. For many years we celebrated on Saint Martha. But in 2021, Pope Francis expanded this memorial to include Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Why would he do that? Well, because the church wanted to remind us that holiness is not meant to be lived alone. It's meant to flourish in families and friendships and homes that welcome Christ. You'll remember Bethany, where Martha, Mary, and Lazarus lived was only about two miles from Jerusalem. Jesus passed through there often, and when he did, he stayed with them. He stayed with his friends. Think about that for a moment. The Son of God who had nowhere to lay his head had one place where he could lay his head. The house of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. And in many ways Bethany became the first Christian home. And each of the three siblings teach us something essential about discipleship.

Martha And The Love That Serves

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Martha teaches us that love serves. Sometimes Martha gets a bad reputation because we remember the story where she complains that Mary isn't helping in the kitchen. But that's not the whole story. Jesus never criticized Martha for serving. He criticized her for being anxious and distracted. There's a difference there. The church has always honored Martha because she reminds us that love isn't just a feeling. Love rolls up its sleeve, it love prepares meals. Love visits the sick, love changes diapers, love cooks dinner. Love always serves. Without people like Martha, parishes could never function. Families couldn't survive, and the poor wouldn't be cared for.

Mary And Prayer Before Work

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Then we turn to Mary. Mary teaches us that before we can work for Jesus, we must first spend time with Jesus. She sits at his feet. And in the ancient world, sitting at the feet of the rabbi meant becoming his disciple. That's extraordinary. Jesus welcomed women not simply as followers, but as true disciples. Mary reminds us that prayer is not wasted time. The busiest person in the church still needs to sit quietly before the Lord. The busiest person in the world, I don't, no matter what your vocation or what your job is, needs to sit before the Lord. Because if we all do his work, even good work, eventually we become exhausted. Service without prayer becomes activism. Prayer gives us service to the soul. Then there's

Lazarus And The Call To Rise

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Lazarus. Interestingly, Lazarus never says a single word in all of Scripture, not one. And yet everyone knows him. Why? Because his life became a witness to the power of Jesus. He was dead, Christ called him by name, and he comes out of the tomb. Lazarus reminds us that Christianity isn't just a philosophy, it's a new way of life. Every one of us have placed in our lives that need to hear Christ say again, come out. Come out of your resentment. Come out of that sin that you keep falling into. Come out of fear. Come out of despair. Come out of whatever has kept you spiritually bound and buried. Christ still raises the dead.

Faith Without Full Understanding

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Now, if we turn to the gospel, it gives us one of the most profound professions of faith. Jesus looks at Martha right in the eyes and says, I am the resurrection and the life. Do you believe this? Notice he doesn't ask, do you understand what I'm telling you? No, he says, Do you believe this? Because there are moments in every Christian life when understanding isn't possible. Martha didn't understand why her brother had died. Jeremiah didn't understand in the first reading why his ministry brought him so much suffering. We don't always understand why illness comes, why marriages struggle, why we have anxiety, why prayers seem unanswered, why good people suffer. We may not understand all of this, but faith doesn't mean having every answer. Faith means trusting the one who is the answer. And Martha gives us one of the greatest confessions. Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God. That's the heart of Christianity right there. Not simply believing that Jesus can perform miracles, but believing who He is.

Turning Your Home Into Bethany

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So perhaps today on this feast day it leaves us with one question. If Jesus came looking for a place to stay today, would he feel welcomed in your home? Would he want to come back? Would he find service like Martha, prayer like Mary, a living witness like Lazarus? Every Christian home is called to become another Bethany, a place where Christ is welcomed, a place where faith is lived, and a place where love is very visible to all who come there. So today may Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus pray for us, that our homes, our families, and our hearts may always be a place where Jesus feels well at home and a place where he wants to return. Amen.