Orthodox Icon of Ss. Mary & Martha of Bethany

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June 4th
Troparion of Ss. Martha & Mary (Tone 3)
You fervently believed in Christ and His marvelous acts, O Martha and Mary, sisters of Lazarus. You were adorned with radiant virtues and were found worthy to be numbered with the Saints; together with holy Lazarus pray to God for us.

After the Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, St. Lazarus and his sisters, Ss. Mary & Martha traveled preaching the Gospel. We do not know where or how they died. Mary and Martha have long symbolized the tension between the enrapt worship and the practical service of our Lord; between the mystical naivete of Georgia and the solid theology of Greece; between carelessly abandoning oneself in the Liturgy or ducking out to see if the coffee will be ready for coffee hour. The Church has always benefitted from both types of ministry, but when Jesus said that Mary had chosen the better part, it was made clear that (as hard as this may be for some of us to imagine) Liturgy can happen without a coffee hour, but coffee hour would be pointless without Liturgy.

This icon is by the hand of Nicholas Papas. This icon is part of the "cloud of witnesses" at St. Philip's Antiochian Orthodox Church, Souderton, Pennsylvania.

Order # phn-31

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St. Mary & St. Martha