Martha said to Jesus,
“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.”

John 11:21-22

John 11:19-27

Reflection

When Lazarus dies, Jesus comes to Martha and Mary. Martha greets Jesus and tells him that Lazarus would not have died if he had been there. Jesus then replies that her brother will rise, and Martha agrees he will rise on the resurrection on the last day because Jesus is the Christ.

Despite great sorrow, Martha professes her strong belief in Jesus, that he is indeed Christ. She doesn’t know Jesus will raise Lazarus from the dead, but she has faith in him regardless. We, too, are often afflicted by sorrows in life, each sorrow individual to the person.

Christ will take that sorrow and transform it into joy in ways we cannot imagine. For Martha, he took her dead brother and raised him from the dead. For us, this could be any number of things. Jesus wants us to understand that out of sorrow, good can arise. It might not always be immediately evident or comprehensible, but if we put our faith in God, we will soon realize how our suffering has provided benefit to our lives and those around us. Reflect on the sorrows you experience and how Christ is using them to bring about his greater glory.

---

Saint of the Day

Sts. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus: ca. 1st century AD

Martha said to Jesus, “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.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told 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. Do you believe this?” She said to 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.” When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, “The teacher is here and is asking for you.” John 11:21-28