St. Martha and the challenging path to belief

A Reflection for the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus

Find today’s readings here.

One of the practices in Ignatian spirituality that I find especially interesting is “Ignatian Contemplation: Imaginative Prayer.” The idea is that we visualize ourselves in the scene being described. 

While reflecting on today’s Gospel reading, I imagined myself to be Martha and tried to picture what my own encounter with Jesus might look like. I thought this would be hard for me, to be honest. I am not an especially creative thinker and sometimes I struggle to focus enough to connect with a Scripture passage deeply.

Given that, I was especially surprised by how easy it felt to see myself in Martha’s shoes: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” It doesn’t take much for me to summon the frustration, resentment and abandonment that Martha must have felt when Jesus wasn’t there to give Lazarus the miraculous healing that would have saved his life. Within grief, fear, disappointment and pain, it can be hard to feel that we are not alone, especially when the prayers we make with such fervor seem to go unanswered (or worse, be denied). There have been many times (perhaps more than I care to admit, honestly) when I have struggled to see or feel or even know God’s presence. 

As they continue to talk, Jesus tells Martha that Lazarus will rise on the last day. The promise of a reunion with a beloved sibling must have been comforting, but I wonder if she was still left longing. I wonder if she ever doubted the trust she placed in Jesus as I may have. My faith is powerful and abiding, but that doesn’t undermine the reality that there is so much that I don’t understand.

At the end of the Scripture passage, Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” And, then, he challenges Martha: “Do you believe this?” 

I imagine myself as Martha answering that question and I reflect on her very meaningful response. “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” She believes; but, she has “come to believe.” The path to belief is not instant or easy. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes trust. Above all, it takes faith. And so (not as Martha, but as Alessandra), I pray that I have space and opportunity to come to believe in every circumstance and on every occasion.

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