Hospitality

     The great friendship of Martha, Mary, Lazarus, and Jesus, began with "Hospitality". They opened their home to Jesus as a guest and continued this great friendship with our Lord from then on. Jesus loved them and they surely did love Jesus. Enjoying each other's company. Laughing and eating and talking and listening to each other. Everything a good home should possess. Each sibling, different in their own unique way. Martha, being the homemaker. Mary, very deep in her intuition of "what was the better part", and Lazarus, loving Jesus as a beloved friend. Spreading the good news of this new friend, so as to make the chief priests worried enough to plot to kill Lazarus, because of this news of the true Messiah, named Jesus. Lazarus' raising from the dead by Jesus must be noted that Jesus took a big risk going back there to that area. Because by that time, His days were growing short because of the high priests great desire to do away with Him once and for all. But Jesus' Love for those three could not be denied. Even to the point of Jesus weeping when upon learning the news that His good friend, Lazarus had died.

    All three siblings, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, are being honored today on this day of July 29th. Today it marks all three of them as Honorees for this Feast day. In 2021, Pope Francis updated the General Roman Calendar, to include Mary and Lazarus alongside their sister Martha. Thus saying, "in the household of Bethany, the Lord experienced the family Spirit and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus".

    May all family households greet our Jesus with Joy and Friendship and Hospitality. For "home is where the heart is" and our hearts belong to Jesus, uniting His Sacred Heart to ours. Welcoming and warm, as a household should be.