Fifth Tuesday of Lent

Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. So the sisters sent word to him, saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

—John 11:1–4

In this passage from John’s gospel, Jesus gets news that his dear friend, Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, is ill and near death. Jesus knows that what unfolds next will not end with the death of his friend but rather will greatly bless Lazarus, Martha, and Mary and bring glory to God. However, it seems that only Jesus sees this.

When we experience illness or suffer in another way, we cannot see the whole picture, but God does. His sovereignty and ability to bring good from evil is beyond our capacity to understand, yet we can be confident that God acts on our behalf always and in all things. Through his saving power God will be glorified, and more people will come to know him.

Today, pray to trust God in times of pain and suffering. Pray to trust in God’s timing.

 This reflection from Messages of Trust for Lent, originally published by Ave Maria Press, was reprinted with permission of the authors, Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran. For more parish resources, visit https://www.rebuiltparish.com/.

Responsorial psalms are excerpted from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Other scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.