Listen

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was a little less than two miles from Jerusalem. Many Jews had come to comfort Martha and Mary after their brother’s death. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, while Mary remained in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you.”

John 11:17-22

Think

Four days. The last breath was taken four days ago.

Four days can seem like a long time, especially if you have been waiting for something important to happen. You can lose hope in four days, become desperate in four days, forget in four days.

John shares with us the story of the resurrection of Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary. They had been waiting for Jesus, hoping that the teacher would do a miracle and save their brother. But Lazarus has died, and it has been four days since they closed the tomb.

Many friends gathered to comfort the two sisters. When Jesus arrives, Martha comes to meet him and seems to receive him with accusation: “If you had been here.” But still the comfort of friends seems to offer space for hope. And the presence of Jesus opens the door wider to the possibility of a miracle: “Even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you.” The four days seem to vanish and every possibility is made new.

Marissa Galván-Valle

Pray

God, I wait in you. I wait and take one breath at time. Thank you for the comfort of family and friends while I wait. And thank you for the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the ever-present possibility of new life and new hope. God, I wait in you. I take my breath in you and live from grace to grace, holding on to the Giver of life. Amen.

Go

Breathe in!

Breathe in the life and hope that only God provides.

Breathe in so that you can go and give this hope of life to others, in everything you do and everything you say.