Saint Martha 29th July
"Many Jews had come to comfort Martha and Mary about their brother.
When Martha had heard that Jesus was coming she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting 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 God will grant you what you ask o Hm.’
Jesus said to her ’Your brother will rise again.’ "
Martha has to deal with the death of her brother Lazarus : ’Lord, if you had only been here..!’
Three days later Jesus said to his apostles ’Lazarus is dead.’ If he didn’t start off on the road because of these women’s’ request, he does so, ’so that the disciples may believe.’
Like all Jews, Martha believed in the resurrection of the dead on the last day.
Jesus hadn’t ignored the suffering in these women’s heart that were so wounded and he was bold enough to risk being misunderstood because of his silence, ’so that the disciples would believe.’
This Word prepares us to celebrate the victory of God’s infinite Love over death.
“Jesus loved Martha and her sister as well as Lazarus.”
God loves our humanity in a practical way, his Love is never vague, He is for evermore.
These places of child birth to a New Life are mysterious places, and we have such a hard time with them, seeking to run away from them.
"Martha said ’I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’
Jesus said to her ’I am the resurrection. Anyone who believes in me, even though that person dies, will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die."
Martha, according to what she had heard from the Pharisees, says to Jesus’ I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day’, but this would mean waiting until the last day.
Jesus takes up again ’I am the Resurrection and the Life.’
Al this is covered over by a veil of mystery : “Anyone who believes in me although that person dies will live” says Jesus.
Martha hadn’t yet understood how Jesus comes to save humanity, bring it back to life, getting it to at long last stand up straight.
In her grief Martha would say ’It is too late’, Jesus should have been there before Lazarus had died and intercede for him.
When Jesus speaks to her about the resurrection, she says’ ’later’ and sends everything to the end of the world.
Jesus would have liked her to be all ardent in faith, already welcoming in Him all of the dimensions of His Life and Resurrection. Jesus still finds our faith quite timid. For sure, we do believe that our body will rise one day! ’We know’, as Martha did. But what Jesus wants is for our gaze to be attached to Him alone and that from this very moment we find the strength to rise up in Hm.
What we already live and experience, the new Life and Resurrection of our body, are already in Him, ready to be adored, received and sung :
’I am the Resurrection and the Life ; do you believe this?’
Jesus’ Life will be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
"Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’
’Yes, Lord’, she said’ I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into the world"
We have given our life to Jesus and it is now a matter of belief and Love, of expecting all things from him.
Today, by faith, we can join Jesus in his mystery of the Resurrection and draw from Him Eternal Life.
Through faith, we can live in the present moment what we shall live in the future.
The extraordinary profession of faith from Martha : ’I believe that you are the Christ.’ Is like that of Peter’s :’You are Christ the Son of the Living God’.
Jesus delivers Lazarus from death, he ’cried out in aloud voice’
’Lazarus, come out!’
Martha has to help us reintegrate our hearts, the place where our Love is.
If our Love is genuine and true then we live there where this Love is, more than in ourselves.
If we live in our Love more than in ourselves then we live first and foremost in those whom we love, and so the Resurrection is at work.