Martha said to Jesus, Lord, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died”.
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise … I am the resurrection. Whoever believes in me, though he die, shall live. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn 11:21, 23, 25-26).
Many people say death of a loved one is the hardest things to accept in life.
The hardest part is the daily absence-not hearing their voice, not receiving their calls, and facing the silence in everyday moments.
There are times when it is not just about grieving the person, but also the future they had planned together, the shared story, and the loss of the person when they were alive.
There are moments we stormed heaven with prayers asking God for a miracle to restore to full health our loved ones in danger of death.
But when the miracle did not happen, sometimes we found ourselves in silence asking God, “why?”.
That was the experience of Martha when her brother Lazarus died.
She said to Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died”.
Like Martha, we all know that everybody dies and we will rise again at the resurrection on the last day, but the pain remains.
Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection. Whoever believes in me, though he die, shall live. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”
As we journey this season of Lent, let us resolve to face the reality of our own death and the death of those we love with unwavering faith.
Remember this: “With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.”
~ Contributed by Fr Line Abilgos of St Michael’s Catholic Church, on behalf of the Combined Churches of Deniliquin.
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