Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus, is the disciple who 'sat at the Lord's feet, hearing his word' (Lk 10:39). When her brother died she stayed at home while Martha went to meet Christ; when she came, she fell at His feet weeping: 'Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.' Christ wept at her tears.
Six days before His Passion she anointed His feet with a costly ointment of nard and wiped them with her hair (Jn 12:1–8). Judas Iscariot complained at the waste. The Lord answered: 'Let her alone, that she may keep it against the day of my burial.' And He added: 'Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, that also which she hath done, shall be told for a memorial of her' (Mk 14:9).
Western tradition, following St. Gregory the Great, conflated her with Mary Magdalene and the sinful woman of Luke 7. Modern scholarship and the East distinguish them. Pope Francis's 2021 decree gave Mary of Bethany her own commemoration on July 29 jointly with her siblings.