Mary’s Meditation for Lent

I will put my breath in you, and you will live. (Ezekiel 37:12–14)

The Spirit of God dwells in you (Romans 8:8-11)

Those who are alive and believe in me will never die (John 11:1-15)

The 5th Sunday of Lent brings us one of the most powerful stories in the Gospel of John. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. The readings invite us to reflect on life, resurrection, faith in God’s power and remind us of God’s promise to bring new life and His power over death. It helps us remember that even when everything feels lost, God can still bring life. Jesus shows He has power over death and that He brings hope to those who trust Him. This message prepares our hearts for Holy Week and reminds us that love and life are stronger than death

When Jesus taught in Judea, he often stayed with Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. So when Lazarus becomes gravely ill, his two sisters send a messenger to Jesus to inform him. They are certain that Jesus will come immediately to heal Lazarus. But instead of coming, Jesus informs the messenger that the end of the illness will not be death, but, rather, God’s glory.

Despite the urgency of Lazarus’ illness, Jesus delays. When, after two more days, Jesus arrives at the house, Martha painfully says: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

For many of us, this can be the hardest part of the story. Jesus’ delay unsettles us and does not offer us comfort. It forces us to sit with grief, waiting, and the painful gap between human expectation and divine timing. We pray, and we wait in earnest for God to help us.

Many times, God seems absent from our pain, struggles, and agony, and we begin to wonder why God is not listening to us or coming to us. Delays often feel like abandonment. We pray for healing, justice, or change, and nothing seems to happen. Martha’s words to Jesus echo our own frustration and abandonment: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would never have died.”

Martha laments but has deep faith in Jesus. She says: “But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus assures her that Lazarus will rise. She responds, “I know he will rise again on the last day.”

Jesus then shifts the framework: “I am the resurrection and the life,” he says. And he asks: “Do you believe this?”

Martha proclaims her belief: “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, God’s Only Begotten, the one who is coming into the world.” She profoundly believes in the mystery of Jesus, that he is divine. It is a confession of faith, and her words become a model for us to follow.Jesus does not offer Martha a distant promise about the afterlife. He is speaking about God’s life-giving power breaking into the present moment, which is full of pain, suffering, and death. Resurrection is not only about what happens after death, but also about God’s insistence on life.

Mary approaches Jesus differently. She falls at his feet and weeps. Her grief is embodied and raw, and as a result, Jesus weeps. Jesus does not rush past sorrow but enters it as God’s presence entering suffering and pain.

Jesus then commands the stone to be removed and calls Lazarus out of the tomb. Lazarus emerges alive but still bound. His hands and feet are wrapped, and his face is covered. Jesus speaks to the community: “Untie him and let him go free.”

During Lent, we are called to turn toward God and trust Him even when life feels uncertain. The story of Lazarus invites us to look at our own lives and ask what might need to be brought back to life—our faith, our kindness, our hope. Jesus calls each of us out of darkness, just as He called Lazarus, and invites us to walk in His light.

God is the creator and giver of life. God brings life, and the community is asked to unbind. Healing requires participation, liberation, and communal courage. This text speaks to our world today as we are surrounded by such tombs as systems of violence, injustice, environmental destruction, and war.

We pray for resurrection, but are we willing to roll away the stones? Are we willing to unbind those whom society has wrapped in fear, silence, or marginalization? Faith is about choosing life and trusting in God’s power to bring life. Resurrection is not only a future promise. It is a present, embodied disruption of death-dealing systems that oppress and kill us. With faith in the resurrection power, let us become the Easter people.

What actions do we take to roll away the stone and unbind us to bring life to ourselves and others?

How do we stay faithful and build our trust in God, especially during difficult times?