Listen

Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha replied, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

She replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, the one who is coming into the world.”

John 11:23-27

Think

I thought of a movie when I read this passage. It’s based on a real-life event, where 37 players from Marshall University were killed on an airplane accident. When faced with such a devastating loss, the university decides to rebuild their football program. Their rallying cry strongly states their stance against death and tragedy: “We are Marshall.”

Jesus is all confidence in this passage. He knows that Martha’s hope is shaken, that she is also out of breath, burdened with the tears of loss. He then gets right to the task of rebuilding her hope with an affirmation: Your brother will rise again. His rallying cry is simple and full of strength: I am resurrection and life!

John’s Gospel is full of “I am” sayings. These sayings seek to give us the certainty that Jesus is the son of God. Every time Jesus says, “I AM,” it is an affirmation of his identity and an assurance of what he can do and give. Martha’s response to “I am resurrection and life” is wonderful, simple, and perfect: “I BELIEVE”.

Marissa Galván-Valle

Pray

Jesus, you are resurrection and life. You are my light and my salvation. Thank you for such a graceful gift that dispels my despair and desperation and fills my heart with hope. In such hope of resurrection, in the joy of salvation, I base my faith and my trust in you. With Martha, I affirm my faith by saying: I BELIEVE! 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.