Gospel

‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God.’
From the Gospel according to John 11:19-27

At that time: Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother, Lazarus. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 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 from God, God will give you.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.’

The Gospel of the Lord

Martha’s Waiting

What if God wants to give us something far greater than what we are asking for? Martha is heartbroken by the death of her brother and reproaches Jesus for not arriving in time. Yet Jesus does not respond by justifying Himself or by rushing to perform the miracle. Before raising Lazarus, Jesus wants to lead Martha to a deeper faith. That is why, before granting her the gift, He reveals who He is: “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” First, He gives Himself; then He gives the gift. Martha wanted her brother back—a deeply human desire—but Jesus first wanted to win her heart by revealing who He was, so that her faith would not depend on circumstances. For the miracle would pass, Lazarus would die again, but faith in Christ would sustain her for the rest of her life. What a wonderful divine pedagogy!
So often in our marriage or in our spiritual life, we seek what God can do for us: to solve a problem, to change a situation, to relieve our suffering… Jesus does not dismiss our prayers; He listens to them with tenderness. But often, before changing our circumstances, He wants to teach us to live with hearts resting in Him. When Christ occupies the centre of our lives, our circumstances may not change immediately, but our hearts do—and with them, the way we live through those circumstances. Then even waiting becomes a place of encounter with Him.

Applied to Married Life:

Luke: We’ve been praying for our daughter for more than a year now, for this painful situation, and everything is still the same… I just don’t understand…
Margaret: Neither do I, Luke. It breaks my heart that the Lord doesn’t seem to act. So often I say to Him, “Lord, where are You? You’re too late! How can You allow this to happen?”
Luke: Perhaps the Lord wants to give us something even greater.
Margaret: Something greater? Forgive me, but I can’t imagine what could possibly be greater than having our daughter back.
Luke: That’s what I want too. And I’ll never stop praying for it. But perhaps, while we’re waiting for that miracle, the Lord is already working another one within us: teaching us to trust Him more, helping us to discover that He has not abandoned our daughter, that He loves her even more than we do, teaching us not to live as slaves to fear… and allowing us to experience an intimacy with Him that we would never have known without this trial.
Margaret: Thank you, Luke… You’ve just opened my eyes. This situation may last for some time, or it may be resolved tomorrow, but learning to trust, to wait and to walk with Christ… that is a gift no one can ever take away from us.
Luke: Exactly. And remember, Jesus did raise Lazarus in the end. He did not refuse them the very thing they longed for, but first He wanted to give them something that no one could ever take away: a faith firmly rooted in Him.

Mother,
when we do not understand God’s timing, remind us that He is never late, and teach us to wait in a different way. Blessed and praised are You for ever!