I know he will rise
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. (Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother.) When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.
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; those who believe in me, even though they die, 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 Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”. (John 11:17-27)
Lord, if you had been here!
How often we too reason like Martha, accusing Jesus of keeping his distance in times of need. The moment in which one of our dear ones dies is perhaps the most frequent occasion on which we ask God to give us an accounting of his behavior–a demand that all too often is an accusation and implicit condemnation. Today’s Gospel helps us take the next step, which is Martha’s act of faith: “I believe.” Jesus is the Resurrection; he is Life eternal because his love is stronger than death. We believe in him; we believe that he is always close to us, bending compassionately over our sepulchers and restoring us to life as free persons.
I Believe in You
Lord, I believe; yes, I believe in you.
I believe you are the Resurrection and the Life.
I believe you are always close to me.
I believe in your compassion for me.
I believe you are the wisdom that guides my life.
I believe you love me and that my life is never lost.
Jesus, thank you for this infinite love. Amen.
Taken from the book Il Vangelo si fa strada by Roberta Vinerba, FSP Editions 2019
