Reflection – Fifth Sunday of Lent  by Desiree de la Fuente Pabalan  
“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.”
 
It’s now three years since the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, a time where a single virus transformed the world into a dwelling place of fear, grief, and isolation. Many of us may have experienced tremendous loss or medical scares concerning our loved ones and dearest friends.  It’s difficult to comprehend why God would allow this long season of loss, grief, and illnesses in our lives.  If God loves His people, why would He allow us to suffer and experience the gut-wrenching pain of loss and fear?  
 
In this week's gospel, our eyes are opened to God's purpose.  Lazarus, brother to Mary and Martha, and Jesus’ beloved friend, has fallen gravely ill.  Just as any brother or sister would do, Mary and Martha knew their best source of hope and miracles:  Jesus.  They sent word to Jesus in hopes that he would arrive in time to save Lazarus from death, but instead, Jesus chose to wait.  He waited not one, but two entire days.  When we are in need of God's help, every minute waiting for God to heed our call feels like hours, maybe even days or weeks.   Our prayers seemingly go unanswered, regardless of pleading and bargaining with a seemingly uncaring God.  To better understand, we are called to take a closer look at scripture, which reveals more about the goodness of God's character, even as He chooses to wait before your prayers are answered.
 
"Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was."
 
Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.  It is because of his love for them that he remained for two days before leaving.  The world teaches us that loving friends act with urgency to help a friend in need.  But Jesus is no ordinary friend.  He is one with God our Father, who has a greater purpose in Lazarus' illness - to give the Son of God glory so that through our faith in Him, we can all be saved.  Although Jesus could have saved Lazarus from physical death, just as he had done to many others before, he waited because of his love and purpose for us. Jesus knew that Lazarus' death and resurrection would generate faith.  His intention is for all of us to believe in him and be saved from the permanence of physical and spiritual death.  It is only through this faith that, like Lazarus, we too can conquer physical death and live eternally with Christ.  Through this passage, we are reminded that even when our own circumstances do not appear to be good, we can find peace in the truth that God's purpose and timing always is.
 
"When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Sir, come and see.” And Jesus wept."
 
Jesus becomes overwhelmed with compassion when he sees Mary and the crowd weeping.  Notice that he, who has the power to heal any illness and bring the dead back to life, did not heal the pain in their hearts.  Instead, Jesus wept with them.  In our own moments of sorrow, he too, weeps with us.  When our spirits are crushed and our hearts are broken, we, like Mary, can fall to his feet and bring our brokenness to him.  There, he will remain with us in friendship and empathy.  Jesus reminds us that without him, we are alone in our moments of sorrow and suffering, and are dead in our sins.  With him, we have comfort from a God who has overcome the world, and who will never leave us.