Welcoming the Holy

Here we invite you to take time for yourself in personal prayer. The following spiritual reflection offers words and images which we hope will evoke for you an experience of God.

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By: Sister Susan Schantz

Image courtesy of Sweet Publishing /FreeBibleimages.org (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Reading

John 11:22-23

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus 
had already been in the tomb for four days.
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And 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.”

Reflection

Lazarus was deathly ill. Mary and Martha begged Jesus to come to their home in Bethany. Jesus did not immediately respond. Lazarus died. The Bethany home became a place for mourning.

Of course, we know that Jesus eventually raises Lazarus, but let’s stay in the moment when Mary cries out both her disappointment and her faith. Her cry to Jesus features desire and fear, hesitation and response, faith and frustration. This is so often our own prayer experience:

• when we ask for release for a dying friend;

• when we shout out for an end to violence;

• when we cry out for courage to change our own behavior.

Prayer

Jesus, give us desire for your presence. Give us the vision to see you coming toward us. Come to our grieving earthly home and make it a place for rejoicing. Amen.