Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus

Believing Before We See

Today we celebrate the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. When we think of these three siblings, we almost always remember each of them for one thing. Martha is the busy one. Mary is the one sitting at Jesus’ feet. Lazarus is the man Jesus raised from the dead. But today’s Gospel gives us a different picture. Martha emerges as one of the greatest examples of faith in the entire Gospel.

When Jesus arrives in Bethany, Lazarus has already been dead for four days. John tells us this detail for a reason. There could be no question that Lazarus was truly dead. Some ancient Jews even believed that after three days all hope of life was gone. Whether or not everyone accepted that belief, John’s point is clear: by the fourth day there was no human explanation left. If anything was going to happen, it had to come from God.

Then Jesus asks Martha a question that He continues to ask each one of us: “Do you believe this?” Notice that He does not ask, “Do you believe I can raise your brother?” Instead, He asks something much greater: “Do you believe that I am the resurrection and the life?” It is the same question we face when life is difficult, when someone we love dies, when our prayers seem unanswered, or when God appears to have arrived too late. Do we still believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life?

Martha’s answer is remarkable: “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God.” It is one of the strongest professions of faith found in John’s Gospel.

It is easy to remember Martha as the one who was always busy serving. But today we discover something even more important about her. She believed before she saw. Before Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb, before the stone was rolled away, before there was any visible sign that things were about to change, Martha believed.

That is the lesson the Church offers us today. Faith is not believing because we have seen the miracle. Faith is trusting Christ before the miracle comes. And whether He answers our prayers in the way we hope, or in a way we do not yet understand, we can still make Martha’s words our own: “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God.”