FAUSTi - Jesus meets His friend Lazarus who is already dead. If at the beginning the disciple arrives to Jesus by the call of another who met Him ( 1,41-45) , at the end he is directly met by the Lord, who calls him to come out of the tomb. It is the definitive call of the "Beautiful Shepherd". Martha heard that Jesus is coming. Listening to the coming of Jesus brings her out of the village of affliction to go to the encounter with the Lord who comes. The beginning of every journey of faith is to listen, to go out and to go to the encounter with the One who comes. Mary is still stuck at home, in her pain. She will be called by her sister after she has met the Lord. What is the use of a God who does not help? In our opinion, He is absent at the very moment of need. When we would Him to be "here" He constantly seems elsewhere. Marta expects a miracle. She knows that Jesus, if he had been there, would have healed her brother; she also knows that she is able to bring him back to life, because she obtains everything from God. She trusts that He will revive Lazarus. The Lord will do it, but as an opportunity to revive in her confidence in Him, life without sunset. Jesus' response seems a generic consolation, which recalls the hope in the resurrection of the last day. Martha's answer denotes a certain disappointment: Jesus does not seem to grant her request. The last day was far for her; her hope for it didn't take away her pain. She too knows that God, in the end, will eliminate death forever (Is 25:8): she believes in the great promise, the fulfillment of creation. But she ignores the fact that the last day is already present in Jesus who gives the Spirit Jesus is revealed with the formula "I am". There is not only the future resurrection. He is already present for us as a resurrection, because He is life in Himself: He received it from the Father and communicates it to His brothers and sisters.Jesus' response is at a higher level than Martha's desire. What she asked for will be granted to her; but this is nothing in the face of the gift she wants to give her, greater than all her expectations. Faith in Jesus does not save us only from death, but gives us here and now eternal life: the hour has come, and it is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who have heard it will live(5,25). We are all living dead, walking towards the tomb: but if we listen to the voice of the Son, we overcome death. In fact : "He who hears my Word and believes in the One who sent me, has eternal life and does not go to judgment, but is passed from death to life (5:24). Listening to his Word is loving our brothers and sisters: this is his commandment that makes us pass from death to life. For he who loves does not dwell in death, but in God, who is Love. To believe in Him is already to live beyond death: one dies physically, but one will "live" in Him that life in love which begins now and which will manifest itself, without veils, on the last day. - Martha forgets her initial question and responds to the question, much more important, of the Lord. The true resurrection is her own, not that of Lazarus, because she believes in Jesus as Christ and Son of God. If the brother comes out of the tomb, because of this faith, Martha is born to the very life of God's daughter. Her faith is that to which the Gospel wants to bring the reader, to believe that Jesus is the Christ, Son of God, to have life in His name. For he who believes in Him does not die, but has eternal life (3:16): He is the Word, the Life of all that is (1:1-3). Martha comes to full faith in Jesus, like the Baptist before her (1:34). At this point her attention is no longer on her brother's death or on waiting for his return to life: she is all focused on Jesus who gives His life here and now to those who listen to Him.
FAUSTi - Jesus meets His friend Lazarus who is already dead. If at the beginning the disciple arrives to Jesus by the call of another who met Him ( 1,41-45) , at the end he is directly met by the Lord, who calls him to come out of the tomb.
RispondiEliminaIt is the definitive call of the "Beautiful Shepherd". Martha heard that Jesus is coming. Listening to the coming of Jesus brings her out of the village of affliction to go to the encounter with the Lord who comes.
The beginning of every journey of faith is to listen, to go out and to go to the encounter with the One who comes.
Mary is still stuck at home, in her pain.
She will be called by her sister after she has met the Lord. What is the use of a God who does not help? In our opinion, He is absent at the very moment of need. When we would Him to be "here" He constantly seems elsewhere.
Marta expects a miracle.
She knows that Jesus, if he had been there, would have healed her brother; she also knows that she is able to bring him back to life, because she obtains everything from God. She trusts that He will revive Lazarus.
The Lord will do it, but as an opportunity to revive in her confidence in Him, life without sunset.
Jesus' response seems a generic consolation, which recalls the hope in the resurrection of the last day.
Martha's answer denotes a certain disappointment: Jesus does not seem to grant her request.
The last day was far for her; her hope for it didn't take away her pain.
She too knows that God, in the end, will eliminate death forever (Is 25:8): she believes in the great promise, the fulfillment of creation.
But she ignores the fact that the last day is already present in Jesus who gives the Spirit Jesus is revealed with the formula "I am". There is not only the future resurrection. He is already present for us as a resurrection, because He is life in Himself: He received it from the Father and communicates it to His brothers and sisters.Jesus' response is at a higher level than Martha's desire. What she asked for will be granted to her; but this is nothing in the face of the gift she wants to give her, greater than all her expectations.
Faith in Jesus does not save us only from death, but gives us here and now eternal life: the hour has come, and it is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who have heard it will live(5,25). We are all living dead, walking towards the tomb: but if we listen to the voice of the Son, we overcome death.
In fact : "He who hears my Word and believes in the One who sent me, has eternal life and does not go to judgment, but is passed from death to life (5:24).
Listening to his Word is loving our brothers and sisters: this is his commandment that makes us pass from death to life. For he who loves does not dwell in death, but in God, who is Love.
To believe in Him is already to live beyond death: one dies physically, but one will "live" in Him that life in love which begins now and which will manifest itself, without veils, on the last day. - Martha forgets her initial question and responds to the question, much more important, of the Lord. The true resurrection is her own, not that of Lazarus, because she believes in Jesus as Christ and Son of God. If the brother comes out of the tomb, because of this faith, Martha is born to the very life of God's daughter.
Her faith is that to which the Gospel wants to bring the reader, to believe that Jesus is the Christ, Son of God, to have life in His name.
For he who believes in Him does not die, but has eternal life (3:16):
He is the Word, the Life of all that is (1:1-3).
Martha comes to full faith in Jesus, like the Baptist before her (1:34).
At this point her attention is no longer on her brother's death or on waiting for his return to life: she is all focused on Jesus who gives His life here and now to those who listen to Him.