John 11:19-27
Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died]. 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; 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."
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for those who suffer from depression, for God's grace to be on them, showing them His great and abundant love.
St. Martha is normally known for asking Jesus to "Tell her to help me" a she was working to serve Our Lord. In that reading, Martha is burdened with how she was called to serve versus being grateful for the opportunity to serve.
In today's reading, though, we see the great faith of St. Martha. Her declaration of faith at the end of today's reading is an amazing testimony to Who Christ is. What is amazing about her faith is that Lazarus hasn't even been raised from the dead yet. Her faith dependent on Who Christ is, just as stated in her declaration at the end of the reading. What's even more inspiring is that she makes this statement in a state of sorrow.
It's so easy to remember her as the "woman to told Jesus to command her sister to help." We often forget that she is a woman of great faith, and that her faith is something we should strive for. We should also never lose sight of this great gift we have of faith, and how that faith calls us to serve, and how the gift to serve is in itself a great and wonderful gift. The world will tell us it's a burden, but we know it as love. Take care and God Bless.
|
