THE WORD

1 Jn 4,7-16 / Jn 11,19-27 (or Mt 13,54-58)

Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. (But) even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told 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. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

 IN OTHER WORDS

Martha is a purposeful woman. She does not waste time on “frivolous” pursuits nor does she obsess over things beyond her control. She calmly accepts whatever befalls her and her family and thus accepts the death of his brother with equanimity, and it seems, resignation.

She is also a woman of faith, especially faith in Jesus. Thus she breaks from a pattern and boldly calls on the empathy of Jesus. But she still leaves to Jesus the final decision.

What can we learn from Martha? Faith does not mean resignation to fate. Rather let us change our fate by faith! God is the final arbiter of all things and events in the world. God gave us life, he can also take away death.

In the end, faith leads us to the full cycle of life, death and eternal life. May we, like Martha let faith take over our life.

• Fr. Reynaldo Jimenez, SVD | DWC, Laoag, Ilocos Norte

The Word in other words 2016

An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.

	Production : Fr. Carlos Maria de Guzman, Jr., SVD and Staff of Logos Publications
	Cover Design : Malou E. Domingo
	Liturgical Calendar : Fr. Atilano Corcuera, SVD
	Production Consultant : Fr. Gerardo del Pinado, SVD
	Scriptural Texts : New American Bible and Daily Roman Missal
	Cover artwork based on photos by Fr. Bar Fabella, SVD
	Published by : Logos Publications, Inc. 1916 Oroquieta St., Sta. Cruz, Manila
	Email Address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Telephone : +63 2 711 1323
	Fax : +63 2 732 273
	Copyright © 2015 Society of the Divine Word