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In the Gospel reading this weekend, we see Jesus feel one of the most difficult emotions of the human experience: deep despair and mourning. His good friend, Lazarus, has died, and the sisters of the deceased, Mary and Martha, have come to Jesus in disbelief, each saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
It can be so easy to be like the sisters and accuse Jesus of deserting us. “Where were you, Lord? How could you let that happen? If you had been with me, I wouldn’t have been hurt so badly. Why can’t I hear your voice? Are you even there?” However, Mary and Martha then give us two different examples of how this conversation with the Lord can continue. Martha said, “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.” Though Martha is hurting and mourning the death of her brother, she maintains her strong faith, and boldly proclaims that God hears Jesus’ pleas. Mary, on the other hand, wept at Jesus’s feet after saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Rather than growing frustrated or angry at this statement, Jesus meets Mary in her sorrow and weeps with her.
Martha exemplifies strong faith that Jesus has the power to perform a miracle, while Mary’s faith is shown in her sharing her pain with Jesus and allowing him to mourn with her. Both women, though deeply saddened, turned towards Jesus and invited him into their situation at that moment. May they be great examples of faith for us in times of sadness, stress, or fear. Jesus, hold us in our pain and hear our prayers.
