St. Martha Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Martha was the sister of Mary and Lazarus, as Scripture tells us. She is mentioned in the Gospels of Luke and John. Jesus rebuked Martha’s task-minded behavior while He was in her home, in the Gospel of Luke.
Though many might think of Martha in a negative light because Jesus rebuked her behavior, the other mention of her in the Gospel shows that she grew greatly in faith and love of Jesus.
You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy woman in your life!
About St. Martha
St. Martha was from a small village called Bethany, which was near Jerusalem. We know very few details about Martha’s life, except that she had a brother named Lazarus and a sister named Mary.
In Luke 10:38-42, we learn that Jesus came to Bethany and that Martha welcomed Him there. When Jesus was in her home, Mary busied herself with serving tasks in order to be hospitable to Jesus. But Martha’s sister Mary sat at Jesus’ feet in order to listen to Him.
Martha was frustrated that Mary had left her to do the serving tasks alone. But Jesus told Martha that her sister had “chosen the better part.” The kindness in His gentle response to Martha shows that He had affection for her.
This story of Martha while Jesus was in her home is the only information the Gospels tell us about her, except for the story contained in the Gospel of St. John.
In John 11:1-44, it says that Martha and Mary’s brother Lazarus was terribly ill. Martha and Mary sent word to Jesus about Lazarus’ illness, but Jesus did not come to them before Lazarus died.
Shortly after Lazarus’ death, Martha was mourning her brother’s death with some others when she learned that Jesus was on His way to them. As soon as she learned this, she immediately left the other mourners in her home and went out to meet Him.
Once she met Jesus, she said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now, I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
Then, Jesus told her that Lazarus would rise. Not fully understanding His meaning, Martha responded that she knew Lazarus would rise at the resurrection at the end of time. After this, Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection and the Life; whoever believes in Me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.”
Then, Jesus asked Martha if she believed what He had said. She told Him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that You are the Messiah, the Son of God, the One who is coming into the world.”
Nothing further is known about the remainder of Martha’s life or her death, though one legend says that she may have traveled to France with her sister during the early days of the Church.
St. Martha’s Feast Day: July 29th
Why Pray the St. Martha Novena?
St. Martha is the patron saint of cooks, homemakers, and domestic workers. You can ask her to pray for you if you are a cook, a homemaker, or a domestic worker. Or you can ask her to pray for someone you know in one of these professions.
St. Martha is also the patron saint of single laywomen. You can seek her intercession if you are a single laywoman, or you can seek her prayers on behalf of a single laywoman whom you know.
Additionally, St. Martha is the patron saint of travelers. You can ask her to pray for you if you are traveling, or you can ask her to pray for someone you know who is traveling.
You can pray the St. Martha Novena for any intention!
St. Martha Novena Prayers
St. Martha Novena - Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martha as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she showed in her desire to be hospitable towards You while You were in her home.
St. Martha, the Gospel tells us that you and your sister Mary hosted Jesus in your home. You were anxious to be as hospitable as you could towards Jesus, and you tried to serve Him well.
Please bring my petitions before Christ Whom you served!
While you tended to household matters, your sister sat at the feet of Jesus. When Jesus gently rebuked you, you came to see that closeness to Jesus was even more important than actively serving Him.
Pray for me, that I may always strive to have a deep relationship with Christ. Pray that I may imitate your desire to serve God well in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martha, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Martha Novena - Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martha as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue she grew in after the time You were in her home.
St. Martha, you were anxious to serve Jesus well while He was in your home. Because your sister was not helping you with your tasks, you were impatient with her. But you soon began to grow in virtue.
Please bring my petitions before the throne of God!
Our Lord told you that your sister had chosen the better part by sitting at His feet. After this incident, you began to grow to a deeper faith and trust in God.
Pray for me, that I may always strive to grow in faith and trust. Pray that I may never allow anxieties to lead me to impatience.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martha, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Martha Novena - Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martha as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You she grew in after You told her that Mary had chosen the better part.
St. Martha, you were frustrated with your sister for sitting at the feet of Jesus while you worked on important household tasks. But when Jesus told you that Mary had chosen better than you, you began to grow in your relationship with God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you wished to serve!
You later showed that you had taken Jesus’ words to heart when you ran to meet Him and expressed your faith in Him.
Pray for me, that I may continually seek to grow closer to God in my prayer life. Pray that I may be given the grace of true contemplation in prayer.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martha, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Martha Novena - Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martha as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue she showed in her desire to serve You while You were in her home.
St. Martha, you were not wrong in your desire to serve Jesus through active works of hospitality. But His words to you show that a deep relationship with God is important for us first.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
Christ told you that Mary had chosen the better part by sitting to listen at His feet. You took His words to heart and entered more deeply into your relationship with God.
Pray for me, that I may always ground my active works in love for God. Pray that I may strive to serve God in whatever ways He calls me to.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martha, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Martha Novena - Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martha as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You she grew in after the time You spent as a guest in her home.
St. Martha, you heard Jesus praise your sister’s attentive devotion to Him as she sat at His feet. From that time on, you began to grow to a deeper relationship with Jesus and love for Him.
Please bring my petitions before Christ Whom you loved!
When your brother was ill, you sent word to Jesus in faith. You dropped everything to go meet Christ as He came to you, and you expressed your deep faith in Him.
Pray for me, that I may grow in my relationship with God. Pray that I may have the grace to serve Jesus with a single-minded devotion.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martha, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Martha Novena - Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martha as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she showed in her actions when her brother was ill.
St. Martha, you asked for Jesus to come when your brother was ill. Though your brother died before Jesus arrived, you did not waver in your love and trust in Him.
Please do not waver in bringing my petitions before God!
When you heard that Jesus was nearing, you left those who had come to mourn with you and ran to meet Him. You expressed your love and your deep faith in Him, and He raised your brother from the dead.
Pray for me, that I may never allow any sufferings to deter me from serving God. Pray that I may always hold fast to my relationship with God in all circumstances.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martha, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Martha Novena - Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martha as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You she showed in her expression of love and trust to You after her brother died.
St. Martha, you ran to meet Jesus when you heard that He was approaching your home after the death of your brother. Though you were suffering from your brother’s death, you persevered in faith and hope.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before God!
When Jesus told you that Lazarus would rise, you thought He was referring to the final resurrection at the end of time. Though you did not fully understand what Christ was going to do, you placed your trust in Him.
Pray for me, that I always keep my final judgment in mind as I live my life. Pray that, like you, I may trust God even when I don’t understand what He is doing.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martha, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Martha Novena - Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martha as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue she showed in continuing to trust in You even after the death of her brother.
St. Martha, you asked Jesus to come to your home when your brother was ill. Lazarus died before Jesus arrived there, but you continued to trust in Him.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God!
You immediately ran to Jesus when you heard that He was coming. You believed that He could have healed your brother, and you trusted Him even though you did not understand what He was going to do.
Pray for me, that I may trust God even when His plans are unclear to me. Pray that I may grow in my trust for God each day.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martha, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Martha Novena - Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martha as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You she showed during the interactions with You that are recorded in Scripture.
St. Martha, we know very few details about your life. But we know that you loved Christ with great devotion and did all you could to serve Him well.
Please do all you can to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
Your request for Jesus to come heal your brother, and your trust in Him despite Lazarus’ death, helped provide the opportunity for Jesus to perform one of His greatest miracles.
Pray for me, that I may always cooperate with the work of God in my life. Pray that I may do all I can to serve God and His Church.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martha, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.