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 anyone 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 Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."
How far Martha has come! We first met her when she is burdened with worldly cares and unable to understand her sister’s desire to sit at the foot of Jesus. However, she has grown as a disciple since then and now expresses a faith we should all seek to imitate. It can be difficult for us to accept sufferings, especially the deaths of our loved ones. But rather than focus on our loss, we should focus on trusting in the mercy of God and the promise of eternal life. Jesus might not raise our loved ones from the dead in the same way as he did Lazarus, but he can and will raise them up to heaven to be with him as long as they have led a good life. We can take comfort in this truth and in the knowledge that all of God’s faithful children will be resurrected. No one who believes in God will ever truly die. Jesus died once, for all. He died to cleanse us of our sins and to bathe us in his mercy so that we could partake in his heavenly feast forever and ever.
Do we trust that whatever goods we ask God for will be given to us in His own way and time? Do we believe that our loved ones (and we) will rise again in the resurrection on the last day? Do we believe in Jesus and his Gospel message?
O Lord, we have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who brings everlasting life to your disciples.
Amen.
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