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Welcome to our daily encounter with the Word of God! Today’s readings are taken from the First Letter of John (1Jn 4:7-16) and the Gospel according to John (Jn 11:19-27). These passages invite us to reflect on God’s love and our faith in the resurrection through the figure of Martha before Jesus.
First Reading (1Jn 4:7-16):
St. John reminds us that love comes from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows Him, for “God is love.” He loved us first by sending His Son as an offering for our sins.
This reading calls us to love sincerely, not only with words but through action. True love means living in God and allowing Him to live in us.
Gospel (John 11:19-27):
In the Gospel, we see Martha mourning the death of her brother Lazarus. Even in her grief, she expresses deep faith in Jesus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus then reveals a powerful truth: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.”
Martha responds with conviction: “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Her faith encourages us to trust in Christ even in moments of sorrow, knowing that He is the source of eternal life.
Reflection and Call to Conversion
Today’s message calls us to live in God’s love and believe in His power over death. To love and to believe are essential for every follower of Christ.
May Martha’s faith and God’s love inspire your spiritual journey. Share in the comments how these readings touch your heart and how you experience God’s love each day.
📖 Daily Readings:
First Reading: 1Jn 4:7-16
Gospel: John 11:19-27
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[Music]
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Reading from the first letter of St.
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John. Dear friends, let us love one
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another because love comes from God. And
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everyone who loves is born of God and
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knows God. Whoever does not love has not
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known God. For God is love. This is how
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God's love was made manifest among us.
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He sent his only son into the world so
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that we might have life through him.
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This is love. Not that we loved God, but
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that he loved us and sent his son as the
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atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved,
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if God so loved us, we also ought to
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love one another. No one has ever seen
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God. If we love one another, God remains
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in us and his love is made perfect among
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us. The proof that we remain in him and
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he in us is that he has given us his
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spirit. And we have seen and testify
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that the father sent his son as the
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savior of the world. Whoever confesses
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that Jesus is the son of God, God abides
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in him and he abides in God. And we have
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known and believed in the love God has
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for us. God is love. Whoever abides in
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love abides in God and God abides in
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him. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to
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God.
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[Music]
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Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St. John. Glory to
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you, Lord. At that time, many Jews had
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come to the house of Martha and Mary to
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comfort them for their brother. When
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Martha heard that Jesus had arrived, she
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went to meet him. Mary remained seated
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in the house. Then Martha said to
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Jesus,"Lord,
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if you had been here, my brother would
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not have died. But even so, I know that
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whatever you ask of God, he will give
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you." Jesus answered her, "Your brother
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will rise again." Martha said, "I know
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that he will rise again in the
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resurrection on the last day." Then
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Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and
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the life. Whoever believes in me, even
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though they die, will live. And whoever
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lives and believes in me will never die.
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Do you believe this? She replied, "Yes,
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Lord. I firmly believe that you are the
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Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come
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into the world." Word of salvation.
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Glory to you, Lord.
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[Music]
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
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imagine a small child lost in a crowded
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shopping mall crying desperately.
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Suddenly, she hears a familiar voice.
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Mommy. Her eyes light up, her arms
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stretch out, and she runs toward the
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source of this unconditional love. This
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simple yet powerful image helps us grasp
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the essence of today's readings. God's
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love is our anchor amid life storms and
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our response of faith even in the face
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of what seems impossible. St. John
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presents us with one of the most
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profound and transformative statements
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in all of scripture. God is love. Four
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simple words that contain a universe of
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meaning. It's not that God has love or
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that God demonstrates love. Although
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those things are also true, John is
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telling us something far more radical.
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Love is the very essence, the
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fundamental nature of God. Stop for a
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moment and reflect on the implications
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of this. If God is love, then every act
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of genuine love we experience or
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practice is a participation in the
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divine life itself. When a mother
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cradles her crying baby, when a father
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works tirelessly to provide for his
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family, when a friend offers support in
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difficult times, when someone forgives a
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deep offense. In these moments, God is
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present and active. But John goes even
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further. In this, the love of God was
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manifested toward us that God sent his
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only son into the world that we might
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live through him. God's love is not just
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an abstract concept or an impersonal
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cosmic force. It manifested itself
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concretely, tangibly, historically in
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the person of Jesus Christ. Imagine the
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love of a father who sacrifices himself
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completely for the good of his children.
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Now multiply that love infinitely and
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you begin to get a glimpse of what God
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has done for us. He didn't just send
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help from afar. He himself came taking
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on our human nature, sharing our joys
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and sorrows and ultimately giving his
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life for our salvation. John continues
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with a statement that should take our
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breath away. We have come to know and
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believe the love that God has for us.
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Knowing and believing in God's love. It
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sounds simple, but it is actually one of
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the most difficult and most important
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things we can do. Because when we truly
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know and believe in God's love,
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everything changes. Our fears begin to
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dissipate because we know we are loved
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unconditionally. Our anxiety about the
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future diminishes because we trust in
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someone who cares for us. Our need to
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impress others or prove our worth
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diminishes because our identity is
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firmly rooted in divine love. And then
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John gives us the inevitable
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consequence. He who abides in love
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abides in God and God in him. Love is
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not just something God has or does. It
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is the means by which we remain in union
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with him. When we love genuinely, we are
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living in the very presence of God. But
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how does this abstract love become real
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and tangible in our lives? This is where
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our reading of the gospel illuminates
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John's message in a deeply moving way.
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We meet Martha at one of the most
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difficult moments of her life. Her
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brother Lazarus has been dead for 4
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days. In the Jewish culture of the time,
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it was believed that the soul remained
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near the body for 3 days. But after
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that, there was no hope. Lazarus was not
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just dead. He was very dead according to
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the beliefs of the time. Imagine the
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pain, the anguish, the despair Martha
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must have felt. She had sent word to
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Jesus when Lazarus fell ill, trusting
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that her friend would come immediately.
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But Jesus delayed. He arrived too late.
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Or so it seemed. It is in this context
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of profound pain and apparent
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hopelessness that Jesus makes one of the
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most audacious declarations in the
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entire New Testament. I am the
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resurrection and the life. He who
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believes in me, though he die, yet shall
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he live. And whoever lives and believes
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in me shall never die. What an
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extraordinary statement. Jesus is not
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just promising life after death.
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Although that is also true. He is
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declaring that he himself is the source
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of life, the victory over death, the
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ultimate answer to humanity's greatest
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fear. But Martha's response is even more
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remarkable. Faced with her brother's
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death, faced with a seemingly hopeless
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situation, she makes one of the most
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beautiful declarations of faith in all
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of scripture. Yes, Lord, I believe that
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you are the Christ, the son of God, the
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one who was to come into the world. This
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is not an abstract or theoretical faith.
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It is a faith forged in the fires of
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adversity, tested by pain, and yet still
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standing firm. Martha cannot see how
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Jesus will resolve her situation, but
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she trusts him anyway. She knows and
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believes in the love Jesus has for her
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and her family. My dear brothers and
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sisters, how often do we find ourselves
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in Martha's position? Facing situations
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that seem impossible, weeping over
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dreams that have died, dealing with
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losses that leave us devastated. How
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often do we send our message to Jesus
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through prayer, expecting an immediate
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answer only to find that he seems too
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late? It is in these moments that John's
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words become not just theology but a
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lifeline. God is love. Even when we
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don't understand his methods or his
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timing, we can trust his nature. Even
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when our circumstances scream otherwise,
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we can rest in the truth that we are
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loved by the one who is love itself.
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Consider for a moment the various ways
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we experience death in our lives.
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Perhaps it's the literal death of a
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loved one. But it can also be the death
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of a relationship, the death of a career
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dream, the death of expectations about
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what our lives should be. It can be the
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death of our self-image, our health, our
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financial security. Jesus addresses all
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these forms of death with the same
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authority. I am the resurrection and the
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life. He has power not only over
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physical death but over all the forms of
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death and hopelessness we face. And like
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Martha, we are called to respond with
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faith. Even when we cannot see how our
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situation can be resolved, we are called
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to declare, "Yes, Lord, I believe that
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you are the Christ." This faith does not
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deny the reality of our pain, but places
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it in the context of God's infinite love
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and his power to bring life where there
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is death. But our faith like Martha's is
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not an end in itself. It is the means by
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which we experience God's transforming
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love. And once we experience this love,
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we are called to share it with others.
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John reminds us, if God so loved us, we
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also ought to love one another. Our love
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for others is not just a moral
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obligation. It is a natural response to
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the love we receive from God. It is how
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divine love flows through us to a world
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in need. Imagine what it would be like
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if each of us lived fully in this
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reality. If we saw every person we
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encounter as someone loved by God,
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someone for whom Christ died. If we
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responded to the crises in our lives
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with the same trusting faith as Martha.
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If we allowed God's love to flow through
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us to our family, friends, co-workers,
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and even those we consider our enemies.
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Our reading from John reminds us that he
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who does not love does not know God
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because God is love. This is both an
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encouraging and a challenging truth.
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Encouraging because it assures us that
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when we genuinely love, we are in tune
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with the very nature of God. Challenging
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because it confronts us with the
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question, does our love for others truly
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reflect our relationship with God?
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Martha's story also teaches us about the
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progression of faith. She begins with
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trust. Lord, if you had been here, my
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brother would not have died. Moves
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through doubt and pain, but arrives at
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an even deeper declaration of faith. Her
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faith is refined and strengthened
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through trial. Similarly, our own
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spiritual deaths and resurrections lead
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us to a more mature faith. Each time we
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trust God amid uncertainty and discover
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his faithfulness, our faith deepens.
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Each time we experience his love in our
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darkest moments, our understanding of
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who he is expands. Dear brothers and
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sisters, today we are invited to enter
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more deeply into the reality of God's
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love. Not a sentimental or superficial
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love, but the robust transformative love
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that was manifested on the cross that
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conquers death and that empowers us to
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love one another with the same
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sacrificial love. We are called to be
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like Martha declaring our faith even
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when we cannot see the path ahead. We
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are invited to be channels of God's love
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allowing his love to flow through us to
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touch and transform the lives around us.
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And we are reminded that no matter what
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death we may be facing in our lives,
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Jesus has the last word. He is the
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resurrection and the life. In him, every
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ending becomes a new beginning. Every
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death becomes an opportunity for new
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life. every despair becomes hope. May we
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know and believe ever more deeply in the
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love God has for us. May we respond to
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this love with growing faith and
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abundant love for others. And may we
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experience the resurrection power of
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Christ in every area of our lives where
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death seems to have the last word. For
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our God is love. And in this love we
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find our identity, our purpose, our hope
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and our eternity. May the grace of our
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Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the
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Father, and the fellowship of the Holy
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Spirit be with you all today, tomorrow,
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and always. Amen.
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[Music]
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St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in
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battle. Be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil. May
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God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do
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thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by
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the power of God, cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
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souls. Amen.
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[Music]