GOSPEL READING:
John 11:19-2719 many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary sat in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world."
Meditation: What gives us hope and joy in the face of
death? The loss of a loved one naturally produces grief and
anguish of heart. When Martha, the sister of Lazarus and a close
friend of Jesus, heard that Jesus was coming to pay respects for
the loss of Lazarus, she immediately went out to meet him before
he could get to her house. What impelled her to leave the funeral
party in order to seek Jesus out? Was it simply the companionship
and consolation of a friend who loved her brother deeply? Or did
she recognize in Jesus the hope that God would restore life?
Jesus strengthens us in faith and hope
Martha, like many Orthodox Jews, believed in the life to come. The
loss of her brother did not diminish her hope in the resurrection.
She even gently chides Jesus for not coming soon enough to save
Lazarus from an untimely death. Jesus does something unexpected
and remarkable both to strengthen her faith and hope in the life
to come and to give her a sign of what he was to accomplish
through his own death and resurrection. Jesus gave to her belief a
new and profound meaning: He came from the Father to defeat sin
and death for us and to restore life to those who believe in him.
Jesus gives abundant life now and forever
Jesus states unequivocally the he himself is the Resurrection and
the Life. The life he offers is abundant life - life which issues
from God himself. And everlasting life - the fullness of life
which knows no end. Do you seek the abundant life which Jesus
offers to those who believe in him?
Lord Jesus, you are the Resurrection and the Life. Strengthen my faith and hope in your promises that I may radiate the joy of the Gospel to others.
Psalm 126:1-6
1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
3 The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.
4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb!
5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy!
6 He that goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The voice of life and joy that awakens the dead, by Athanasius of Alexandria (295-373 AD)
"I am the voice of life that wakens the dead. I am the good odor
that takes away the foul odor. I am the voice of joy that takes
away sorrow and grief.... I am the comfort of those who are in
grief. Those who belong to me are given joy by me. I am the joy of
the whole world. I gladden all my friends and rejoice with them. I
am the bread of life" (John 6:35). (excerpt from
HOMILY ON THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS)
