she went to meet him, while Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus,
“If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that whatever you
ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha
replied, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection, at the last day.” But Jesus said to her,
“I am the resurrection. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, shall live. Whoever lives
and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Martha then answered, “Yes,
Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming
into the world.”

Reflect

“You are the Christ.” Today’s Gospel narrates Jesus’ encounter with Martha situated in
the context of the death and raising of Lazarus (cf. Jn. 11:1-44). Martha is known to
be one of the closest friends of Jesus. It is no longer surprising why she would be the one
to meet Jesus along the way. She was also the one who expressed to Jesus her deepest
emotion of regret that the Lord was not physically around when Lazarus succumbed to
death. If Jesus were around, as expressed deeply by Martha, Lazarus would have not died.
She was also the one who professed her unwavering hope. It is clear that Martha had a
very deep faith in what Jesus could do when physically present. However, Martha
still needed to understand better that Jesus’ power is never limited to his physical
presence because it can effect hope even amidst the reality of death. Jesus is the
resurrection and the life. Hence, Martha was able to believe and profess that Jesus is the
resurrection and the life because he is the Son of God come into the world.

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