Do you believe?
Do you have faith?
Do you believe that Christ can overcome anything, that He can move mountains, that He can even raise someone from the dead?
Do you have faith that He will?
Today is the Memorial of St. Martha. She kinda gets a bad rap, always portrayed as a worrywart, who fails to see what is in her presence, before her, because she is taking care of everyone, doing the stuff that needs to be done.
But in the Gospel reading for today, she is strong and faithful before Jesus, in the midst of Lazarus’ death. Let’s be honest, if we didn’t have any Martha’s, nothing would ever get done…
She may have not completely understood what Jesus was telling her and who He was and what He could truly do, but she had faith in Him. She believed that if He had been there, He could have saved Lazarus. But the fact of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead? She couldn’t even comprehend that. The thought did not occur to her. It is unnatural.
How many times in life do you simply dismiss something because, you say to yourself, “there is no way… It is impossible. It’s unnatural”?
How many times do you give into your own negative thoughts and foregone conclusions and not even ask Jesus for help? Or if you do, do you really believe that He is going to answer? Do you really believe that He is there?
Prayer is a funny thing. Most of the time, we’re just saying words, going through the motions, thinking about other things we have to do, and wrestling with other thoughts that come to mind.
Don’t get me wrong. God loves the discipline. He loves the devotion.
But there are other times where prayer is a dart to God’s own Heart, where we feel it in our bones that He will hear us, and that while we may not understand His actions or what His answer will be – we know that He is there, listening, ready to help. Because He is the only thing we’ve got.
And He feels this in His Heart.
I’ve been there. I’ve heard Him. I’ve felt Him. Often these times come in the worst of times, when we’re down and often the worst version of ourselves. But I cherish these times because I know for a fact, that He is there in that very moment.
Martha encountered Jesus in one of these times today, with the death of her brother. But she was strong, and her faith in Jesus and belief in Him based upon her own understating was unwavering. And He was there for her and her family and her brother in ways beyond he understanding and imagination.
Do you have this faith?
Do you have this belief?
Because this faith can move mountains.
This belief can change our lives and of those lives around us.
This belief will bring new life here in the now and life eternal – no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in.
We all find ourselves in unique circumstances, facing our own challenges.
Do you believe that He is there?
Do you believe that He will help?
Believe it. Because He Is. And because He always will Be.
