JESUS IS THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE - 7/29/22 (Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus)

John 11:23-27

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.”

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072922.cfm

For more information on St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/saints-martha-mary-and-lazarus/

For the examination of conscience and guide to confession, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

For more information on how to pray the rosary, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/the-most-holy-rosary/

Blessed Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus! Our Lord Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. He did not just say that He would be resurrected, and He would always give eternal life. He uses these titles to pertain to Himself and to His love for us. God is love. By His very nature, everything He does is out of love for us. As such, Jesus is showing us that He truly desires to resurrect us, both from our spiritual and physical death, and eternal life is what will make us happy forever. There are three things we can learn from St. Mary, St. Martha and St. Lazarus in order for us to accept this gift of eternal life. 

First, it is important for us to listen to the voice of Christ. St. Mary is an example of how necessary it is to be in the presence of God. When Jesus visited St. Mary in her house, she was simply at His feet listening to His words. We are given the same opportunity by God to hear His voice and know His will. In order for us to remain in the state of grace and be resurrected, we should know what is God's will, and we can only do this if we open our hearts to Him. Sometimes, we may be distracted by our work, by social media and by other things which is why we may not use our time to reflect on God's Word, examine our conscience, and pray to God and study our Catholic faith. But, Jesus is inviting us to speak to Him and to ask Him as to what we need to adjust in our schedule to give Him greater glory. St. Mary remained in her house when Jesus came to see Lazarus. God is teaching us to remain in our inner room, to enter in our own hearts where God dwells. 

Second, God wants us to believe in Him. Our Savior tells us in the gospel reading that those who believe in Him will not die. He is speaking about spiritual death which means that those who trust in Jesus will be spiritually and physically resurrected. Before, St. Martha was worried and anxious about many things. She was focused on the problems which made it difficult for her to turn her attention to our Lord. St. Martha provided us with a holy example when Jesus came. Despite the fact that Lazarus died, she did not fall to despair. It's because she believed in Jesus. There are times when we find it difficult to have hope in our Lord because we may dwell on our problems. We may feel drowned when we have problems that are difficult to solve instead of telling it to Jesus and asking His wisdom and guidance to solve such problems. Even in our spiritual and moral life, when we look only at our sins and tendencies, we may just give up and continuously consent to sin. God is merciful. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. And, if there are times that we fall to grave sins, let's immediately trust in God's mercy and seek the sacrament of reconciliation as soon as possible. 

Lastly, Lazarus showed us the real possibility of resurrection. This should give us real hope and desire to love Him even more. What did Lazarus do after he rose from the dead? He chose to serve our Lord and be a faithful follower. His gratitude towards our Merciful Savior led him to praise and glorify Him. In the same way, the blessings and the graces that God gives to us should move us, not just to be amazed, but also to serve Him. We can do this by serving and loving our neighbors because what we do to our neighbors, we also do it to Christ. At the same time, since God is giving us opportunities to repent, He wants us to really do everything to avoid temptations. What are the occasions of sin that make us stumble before? What are the temptations that make us struggle in life? What are our weaknesses when it comes to our sinful tendencies? May we be honest with our Lord as we reflect upon it. Let's believe that He will grant us the grace to do His will, and let's persevere in our prayers and resolutions. May we imitate St. Mary, St. Martha and St. Lazarus as we express our faith in Christ. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic