MARTHA, Saint. — Sister of Lazarus (v.) and of Mary of Bethany. The name in Aramaic means “lady.” She is first mentioned by Lk 10:38–42 in a village of Galilee, where she hosted Jesus and “was busy” preparing a worthy reception for him, while her sister Mary sat quietly listening to the Master. Martha protested to Jesus, but Jesus replied: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which shall not be taken away from her.” With these words Jesus was not condemning the active life, but moderating its excesses by preferring the contemplative life.
Martha was a witness to the resurrection of Lazarus (Jn 11:20–40) at Bethany. At the sweet lament of Martha (“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died”),
Jesus answered: “I am the resurrection and the life….” Martha informed her sister. On the occasion of the thanksgiving banquet offered to Jesus, who had raised Lazarus, Martha presided over the service (Jn 12:2).
In 1187 it was believed that the tomb of St Martha had been discovered at Tarascon. A legend arose that Martha had come there from Palestine with her brother and sister and had killed a monster there. In a discourse wrongly attributed to St Ambrose, Martha was identified with the haemorrhaging woman of the Gospel (PL 17, 698). In the Roman Martyrology she is commemorated on 29 July. She is the patron saint of housewives and hostels. She is depicted with a bunch of keys or with kitchen utensils; sometimes with a dragon beside her or a stoup.