Today, the Church remembers Mary and Martha of Bethany, the sisters of Lazarus who was raised from the dead by Jesus.
Ora pro nobis.
Though they are not specifically named as such in the gospels, the Orthodox Church counts Mary and Martha among the Myrrh-bearing Women.
(The Myrrhbearers are traditionally listed as Mary Magdalene; Mary, the mother of James and Joses; Mary, the wife of Cleopas; Martha of Bethany, Sister of Lazarus; Mary of Bethany, Sister of Lazarus; Joanna, the wife of Chuza the steward of Herod Antipas; Salome, the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee; Susanna; Joseph of Arimathea; and Nicodemus. There are also generally accepted to be other Myrrhbearers, whose names are not known.)
These women followed Jesus during his earthly ministry in Galilee, providing for him and his followers out of their own means (Mark 15:41). They remained faithful to him even during the most dangerous time of his arrest and execution, and not only stood by the cross, but accompanied him to his burial, noticing where the tomb was located. Because of the impending Sabbath, it was necessary for the burial preparations to be brief. Jewish custom at the time dictated that mourners return to the tomb every day for three days. Once the Sabbath had passed, the women returned at the earliest possible moment, bringing myrrh to anoint the body. It was at this point that the Resurrection was revealed to them, and they were commissioned to go and tell the Apostles. They were, in effect, the apostles to the Apostles. For this reason, the myrrhbearing women, especially Mary Magdalene, are sometimes referred to as "Apostle to the Apostles."
Orthodox tradition also relates that Mary's brother Lazarus was cast out of Jerusalem in the persecution against the Jerusalem Church following the martyrdom of St. Stephen. His sisters Mary and Martha fled Judea with him, assisting him in the proclaiming of the Gospel in various lands. The three later moved to Cyprus, where Lazarus became the first Bishop of Kition (modern Larnaca). All three died in Cyprus.
O God, heavenly Father, your Son Jesus Christ enjoyed rest and refreshment in the home of Mary and Martha of Bethany: Give us the will to love you, open our hearts to hear you, and strengthen our hands to serve you in others for his sake; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
