At the first glance, the Gospel reading is a bit hard to deal with. Jesus knew that Lazarus was on the verge of death. He knew that Martha and Mary needed his presence and comfort. He knew that he had the power to save Lazarus. Yet he waits. For two whole days he remains absent from the suffering of Martha and Mary. How is that possible? How often have we been like Mary and Martha, distressed about a situation and are just waiting on Jesus? How often have we had to sit through the torment of feeling disconnected from God?

Yet there is something deeper going in the Gospel, just as there is something deeper going on in our own lives when God appears to be absent. By allowing Lazarus to die, Jesus was able to bring about a miracle that not only strengthened the faith of the believers, but also brought many into the truth of the Son of God. It was through the agony of the Martha and Mary that Jesus was glorified in front of all those that had doubted him. What an amazing thing that is for us, what a reminder of hope. This Gospel serves as a calling to trust, to trust that we are not alone in our misery and distress. To trust that just as Jesus wept with Mary, he weeps with us and that just as he used Martha and Mary’s anguish for the greater glory of God, he uses our heartaches as well.

We must learn to trust that God is always active in our pain, regardless of our ability to sense Him and that through our pain He is using us to spread His love and salvation to those who do not believe and do not trust. Perhaps it will be our faith, our trust in the power of God that will bring about the resurrection for those we love, just as Martha and Mary’s faith brought about the resurrection of their brother Lazarus. Perhaps instead of dwelling on how our pain is killing us, we should look to see how our pain can play a part in giving someone else the gift of eternal life.