The Gospel tomorrow, the Fifth Sunday of Lent, brings us to Bethany the village of Mary and her sister Martha. We recall that Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair. Her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent word to him about their brother’s state of health. Upon hearing this, Jesus said “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
Note the words of Jesus “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God.” Our lives are so swamped with all forms of sickness, either spiritual, physical, or financial troubles. So much so that these afflictions seem so intricately intertwined with our very existence. Oftentimes, we rebel against God and blame him for all these troubles. Yet Jesus has demonstrated in this episode that he has the power to cure these ailments and that they exist for the glory of God.
This brings us to the philosophical question—why do the innocent suffer; why is it that sometimes righteousness is not rewarded with good? Jesus reminds us that the tribulations that men encounter are but means to manifest God’s glory. A man sick with cancer or is living in abject poverty for example is more likely to depend on God than the rich man or perfectly health man. For man has the woeful tendency to become conceited and proud and to feel that he does not need God when he lives a very comfortable and easy life. He only learns to kneel in supplication when trouble visits him. Christ himself directs us to embrace our own crosses and to follow him. The catechesis of the world however tells us the opposite—cast away your cross, do not follow Christ who would only lead you to suffering, look for other means to find happiness and live a life apart from him.
Yet, this catechesis is deceitful. It can only bring us more misery and hopelessness. If we embrace these crosses along with Christ, the burden becomes light and bearable.
Suffering takes two forms—one is to suffer with Christ and the other without Christ. Only by bearing our suffering along with Christ can we, like Lazarus, be freed from death. In the very end, man, despite his imperfections, is destined only to exist for the glory of his creator, nothing more.
We may ask—why is it that God allows evil deeds to prosper and worse seemingly permits then to enjoy the fruits of their evil deeds? Our God is a mysterious God. His nature cannot be grasped entirely by our finite minds. Yet God with all his infinite knowledge also respects our free will. He allows us to choose our very own destiny, whether we take the righteous or evil path. Although our God is the god of love and mercy, it would be well to impress in our minds and hearts that he is also a just God. Every sin is a debt contracted with the justice of God. The wise man never forgets the words of Jesus when he said—“Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.” We may live for 80, 90 or 100 years, but what is that compared to eternity? We truly are but pilgrims who take temporary passage here on this earth. Our final destiny will be determined by the Supreme Judge who will judge us based on our life’s choices.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus, seeing the strong faith of Martha, said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. And so after thanking the Father, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him.
Truly, faith, even as small as a mustard seed, can move mountains. Mary and Martha, because of their strong and unwavering faith in Jesus, the Messiah, witnessed their brother Lazarus brought back to life. Jesus is the resurrection. He alone can bring us back to life. Dead because of our sins, Jesus can raise us up from all misery and wretchedness if only we have the faith of Martha and Mary. Sadly, few of us do which is why we are easily weighed down and crushed by the crosses that we carry daily in our lives. Many carry their crosses, depending only on their own strength and without the help of Christ.
This Lenten Season, we should learn to suffer our afflictions with patience, forbearance and total dependence on God knowing that with total faith in him, there will be a resurrection.