St. Martha Prayer for a Lover to Come Back: 6 Catholic Prayers (2026)

If someone you love has left and your heart aches for them to come back, you can ask St. Martha of Bethany to pray for you. She was a close friend of Jesus who knew grief, waited on the Lord and saw him bring her brother back to life. Below you will find a St. Martha prayer for a lover to come back, the traditional prayer to St. Martha in English and Spanish, and prayers for reconciliation and peace.

One thing matters before you begin. Christian prayer asks God to heal and to bless. It never tries to force another person’s heart, because love can only be given freely. So we pray for reconciliation, for the other person’s good, and for the grace to accept God’s answer.

Who Was St. Martha?

St. Martha lived in Bethany, a village near Jerusalem, with her sister Mary and her brother Lazarus. The Gospel says simply, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5). Their home was a place where Jesus rested and was welcomed.

The Bible tells two stories about her:

• Martha the host (Luke 10:38-42). Martha welcomed Jesus and busied herself with serving, while Mary sat at his feet and listened. When Martha complained, Jesus answered gently: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.” He was not scolding her hospitality. He was inviting her to rest in him first.
• Martha the believer (John 11). When Lazarus died, Martha ran to meet Jesus. In her grief she said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). Then she made one of the greatest confessions of faith in the Gospels: “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world” (John 11:27). Jesus then raised Lazarus from the tomb.

That is why hurting people turn to her. Martha knows what it is to wait, to feel that the Lord has come “too late,” and still to trust him.

Legends About St. Martha

A medieval legend from Provence in France says that Martha, Mary and Lazarus later traveled there and that Martha tamed a dragon called the Tarasque. The town of Tarascon honors her, and many paintings show her with a dragon at her feet. These are pious legends, not history the Church teaches as certain, but the image of Martha overcoming evil through faith has inspired Christians for centuries.

Her Feast Day and Patronage

St. Martha’s feast is July 29. In 2021 the Church began to celebrate it as the memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus together. She is traditionally the patron of cooks, homemakers, domestic workers, innkeepers and travelers, and she is sometimes listed among the patrons of single laywomen.

Why Pray to St. Martha for a Loved One to Return?

Catholics do not pray to saints as if they had power of their own. We ask them to pray with us and for us, the way we ask a friend to pray, because they are alive in Christ and close to God (CCC 956). You can read more in why Catholics pray to saints.

When you ask for a lover, spouse or friend to come back, it helps to pray for three things:

1. Healing: for your heart and for theirs.
2. Reconciliation: forgiveness on both sides, and a fresh start if it is God’s will.
3. Peace: the grace to trust God whatever happens, as Martha did at the tomb.

If you are praying for a marriage, see also these short prayers for marriage restoration.

6 Prayers to St. Martha

1. Prayer to St. Martha for Lover to Come Back

Most compassionate and loving St. Martha,
Your intercession is powerful and I turn to you now because my heart aches.
Please pray that my lover returns to me.
Though we are now separated I know that our shared bonds are strong.
St. Martha, you also know of the love that existed between us.
I am lost without him and my heart aches for his presence.
I long to feel his warm embrace and hear his sweet voice.
Please, dear St. Martha, bring him back to me.
I promise to always remember your intercession and to praise your holy name.
Amen.

2. Traditional Prayer to St. Martha

This is the prayer most often used in the popular St. Martha devotion. Many people pray it on nine Tuesdays in a row, followed by an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be.

O Saint Martha, I resort to thy aid and protection.
As proof of my affection and faith,
I offer thee this light, which I shall burn every Tuesday.
Comfort me in all my difficulties,
and through the great favors thou didst enjoy
when the Savior was lodged in thy house,
intercede for my family,
that we may be provided for in our necessities.
I ask of thee, Saint Martha, to overcome all difficulties,
as thou didst overcome the dragon which thou hadst at thy feet.
Amen.

3. Oración a Santa Marta (en español)

Para nuestros lectores de habla hispana: esta es una traducción fiel de la oración tradicional a Santa Marta. Se suele rezar durante nueve martes seguidos, seguida de un Padre Nuestro, un Ave María y un Gloria.

Oh Santa Marta, acudo a tu ayuda y protección.
Como prueba de mi cariño y de mi fe,
te ofrezco esta luz, que encenderé todos los martes.
Consuélame en todas mis dificultades,
y por los grandes favores que recibiste
cuando el Salvador se hospedó en tu casa,
intercede por mi familia,
para que seamos socorridos en nuestras necesidades.
Te pido, Santa Marta, que venzas todas las dificultades,
como venciste al dragón que tenías a tus pies.
Amén.

4. Oración a Santa Marta para que Regrese el Ser Amado (Original Prayer)

Santa Marta, amiga de Jesús,
tú conociste el dolor de la espera y la tristeza de la pérdida.
Te confío a la persona que amo y que se ha alejado de mí.
Ruega a Dios que sane nuestras heridas
y que nos conceda el perdón mutuo.
Si es su santa voluntad, que volvamos a encontrarnos en paz y en verdad.
Y si no lo es, dame la gracia de aceptar su voluntad
y de seguir amando sin rencor.
Amén.

5. Prayer to St. Martha for Love

St. Martha can also pray for you as you hope to find love.

St. Martha,
I come to you seeking your help and intercession in finding love.
I have been searching for my soulmate for what seems like forever, and I am starting to lose hope.
Please give me the strength to keep searching and the faith that I will find the one meant for me.
I know that you understand the longing for companionship and love, as you also had a deep, abiding love for your brother, Lazarus.
I pray that you will intercede on my behalf to God, and help me to find love.
I am willing to put in the hard work to find love, but I need your help.
Please give me the courage to put myself out there, and the wisdom to know who is worthy of my love.
I also pray for the strength to handle any heartache and disappointment that comes my way.
I know that there is someone out there for me, and I am determined to find them.
With your help, I am confident that I will find the love of my life and enjoy a happy, healthy relationship.
Thank you, St. Martha, for interceding on my behalf.
I will never forget your help in finding the love of my life.
Amen.

6. Prayer to St. Martha for Reconciliation and Peace (Original Prayer)

For a spouse, a partner, a friend or a family member who has drifted away.

St. Martha of Bethany,
you ran to meet Jesus when your heart was broken,
and you trusted him even at your brother’s tomb.
Pray for me now, and for the one I love.
Ask the Lord to heal what has been wounded between us,
to soften any pride or anger in my heart and in theirs,
and to lead us both to forgiveness.
I place this person in God’s hands, not in mine.
Let me love them freely and want only what is truly good for them.
Give me peace while I wait,
and the faith to say, as you did, “Yes, Lord, I believe.”
Amen.

How to Pray the St. Martha Novena on Tuesdays

The St. Martha devotion is a popular practice, not an official liturgical rite. Here is a simple way to pray it:

1. Choose a Tuesday to begin, and plan to pray on nine Tuesdays in a row.
2. Light a candle if you wish, as a sign of your prayer rising to God.
3. Pray the traditional prayer to St. Martha (prayer 2 or 3 above).
4. Add an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be.
5. Name your intention honestly, and end by placing it in God’s will.

Older versions of this devotion promise that the request will be granted “before the ninth Tuesday.” The Church does not teach that any prayer works like a guarantee. Perseverance in prayer is good and pleasing to God, but he answers as a loving Father, in his own way and time.

A Gentle Word About “Santa Marta la Dominadora”

Many Spanish-language searches for “oración a Santa Marta para que regrese” lead to prayers to “Santa Marta la Dominadora.” These come from folk spiritism and Dominican Vodou, not from the Catholic faith. They borrow St. Martha’s image but ask a spirit to “dominate” another person so that he or she will come back, often with rituals and offerings.

The Catechism teaches that practices that try to gain power over other people are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion, even when done for a good end such as winning back love (CCC 2115–2117). Real love respects the other person’s freedom. If you have used such prayers, don’t despair. Bring it to God in Confession, and turn to the true St. Martha, who will lead you to Jesus.

While You Wait: Practical Steps

Prayer and wise action go together. While you pray for a loved one to return:

• Examine your own heart. Is there something you need to apologize for?
• Forgive, even if the other person has not asked for it yet.
• Respect their space. Pressure and constant messages rarely heal anything.
• Talk to someone you trust: a priest, a good friend or a counselor.
• Keep praying for their good, whether or not they come back. That is what love does.

For more prayers for the people you love, see prayers for a relationship, short prayers for your boyfriend and the St. Rita prayer for impossible cases. St. Rita is a patron of difficult marriages.