Today is the feastday of our Sr. Bethany Marie of the Glorious Wounds of Christ. 
Born: March 28, 1997
Entered: May 31, 2022

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” (John 11:5)

Today we celebrate the friends of Jesus, the siblings of Bethany, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. They welcomed Jesus into their home on a different occasions,  providing Him with a place of rest in the midst of His active ministry. They are typically pictured in iconography with Martha serving Our Lord’s needs, Mary sitting at His feet, and Lazarus dining with Him.

Originally only Martha was celebrated on this day, but in 2021 Pope Francis expanded the memorial to include all three of the Saintly siblings.

These holy friends of Jesus can be seen as personifying the three theological virtues:

• Martha represents faith — while in mourning the death of her brother, through confusion and frustration at Jesus’ delay, she still professes Jesus as the Messiah.

• Lazarus, represents hope — he was raised from the dead and manifests the Christian expectation of the resurrection and new life.

• Mary represents love — she sits at the Lord’s feet listening to Him, which Jesus proclaimed “the better part,” a great model for contemplative life. She also shows forth love in getting up and running to the Lord when He calls and anointing His feet while at supper, demonstrating her undivided heart.

Their stories can be found in Luke 10:38-42, John 11:1-44, and John 12:1-11.