Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus
Jn 11:19-27
And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 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. 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 believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Freedom in Friendship
There is a freedom in talking to a close friend. You won’t be judged, but you can also trust that you will be kindly redirected or called out if you’re on the wrong track. I am in awe of Martha’s friendship with Jesus and her ability to bring her reality to him. She speaks boldly, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me” (Luke 10:40) and “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). It is through her openness and honesty that Jesus is able to speak truth to her and call her to a deeper relationship and stronger faith.
How can you be open and bold with Jesus today? How might Jesus be inviting you to a deeper, more intimate friendship with him?
—Kathy Powell is the Creative Director & Content Strategist for Becky Eldredge | Ignatian Ministries. She spends her days dreaming up ways to invite people deeper in their walk with God, reminding her kids to use their inside voices, and walking with families who have lost a child by miscarriage.
Prayer
Jesus,
I bring you all I am holding –
my interior thoughts,
unpopular opinions,
and messy emotions.
I know you can hold them all with me.
Open my heart and ears
to hear your response.
Help me to discern my next steps
based on what you have made known
and where you are calling me.
Amen.
—Kathy Powell