Have you felt like God was taking too long to answer? Maybe you prayed for healing, a breakthrough, or something to change, but nothing happened—at least not when you wanted it to. That’s how Mary and Martha felt. Their brother, Lazarus, was dying, but Jesus didn’t come right away. When He arrived, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

Imagine their grief and disappointment. “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died,” Martha said. How many times have we thought the same thing? “God, if You had just stepped in sooner, things wouldn’t have fallen apart.”

But Jesus wasn’t late. He was right on time for something greater. Instead of healing a sick man, He raised a dead man. Instead of preventing their grief, He showed them His power over it. Jesus wept—not because He was powerless—but because He was present. And then, He called Lazarus out of the grave.

What if God’s delay in your life is making room for something greater? 

Tisha Alyssa Sanchez (caro.tisha@gmail.com)

reflect

Where do you need to trust God’s timing, even when He seems late?

Lord, help me trust You when I don’t understand. Remind me that Your timing is perfect, and Your love never fails. Amen.

St. Nicholas Owen, pray for us.

First Reading | Ezekiel 37:12-14

Ezekiel speaks of a time when God will raise the dead. This belief was not universally held by the Jews of Jesus’ time. The nature of the Messiah’s mission was shrouded in mystery. Perhaps people had different expectations, depending on who they talked to about the issue. Majority of the Jews expected the Messiah to be a political liberator, which Jesus did not fulfill. Let us avoid making assumptions about how God will work in our lives. Instead, let us be open to whatever His will for us may be.

¹² Thus says the Lord God: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people! ¹⁴ I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus, you shall know that I am the Lord. I have promised, and I will do it, says the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

R: With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

¹ Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice! ² Let your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication. (R) ³ If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand? ⁴ But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered. (R) ⁵ I trust in the Lord; my soul trusts in his word. ⁶ More than sentinels wait for the dawn, let Israel wait for the Lord. (R) ⁷ For with the Lord is kindness and with him is plenteous redemption; ⁸ and he will redeem Israel from all their iniquities. (R)

Second Reading | Romans 8:8-11

Paul makes a distinction between following the way of the flesh or the way of sin, and that of the Spirit. Let us pray for the grace to live as Paul explains in today’s reading. It is only by the grace of the Holy Spirit at work in us that we will conquer sin and live a righteous life.

⁸ Brothers and sisters: Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness. ¹¹ If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that is dwelling in you.

Gospel | John 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33-45 (or John 11:1-45)

The resurrection of Lazarus is a prelude to that of Jesus. It is a preview God’s power to raise people from the dead. From our point of view, the conversation Mary has with Jesus gives this event a sounder theological underpinning—namely, it helps us understand what Jesus’ own resurrection from the dead will mean for us.

Gospel Acclamation

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will never die.

³ The sisters of Lazarus sent word to Jesus, saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” ⁴ 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.” ⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. ⁷ Then after this he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” ¹⁷ When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. ²⁰ When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. ²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” ²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” ²⁴ Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last d0ay.” ²⁵ Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I ha0ve come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” ³³ He became perturbed and deeply troubled, ³⁴ and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.” ³⁵ And Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” ³⁷ But some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?” ³⁸ So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. ³⁹ Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” ⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. ⁴² I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³ And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So, Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” ⁴⁵ Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him.

Reflect

What does the resurrection of Jesus mean to you? 

What “death” by sin can Jesus raise you from?

Read the Bible in one year! Read GENESIS 34 - 36 today.

Trusting When Answers Fail

Anna had always been in control—organized, efficient, always knows what to do. But when her father fell gravely ill, everything changed. Doctors gave no clear answers, prayers seemed unanswered, and she felt helpless. “Why, Lord? Where are You?” she cried.

A priest visited her and simply asked, “Do you trust Him?” She wanted certainty, but all she had was faith. Slowly, she surrendered, trusting God even without answers.

Anna’s journey mirrors Martha’s—moving from knowing to believing. Sometimes, faith isn’t about understanding but about trusting.

Martha was always the strong one—assertive, capable, and in control. But when her brother Lazarus died, her strength turned into frustration. She confronted Jesus, saying, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Her words carried sorrow, but also disappointment. Jesus responded, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha, still thinking logically, answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” It was as if she was saying, “Yes, yes, I know what’s supposed to happen in the future.”

But Jesus wasn’t speaking of a distant hope—He was calling her into deeper trust. “I am the resurrection and the life . . . Do you believe this?” He did not ask, “Do you understand?” or “Do you know?” but instead, “Do you believe?” This was Martha’s turning point. She moved from knowledge to faith, from certainty to surrender. “Yes, Lord, I believe.” Her faith came before the miracle. Many believed after seeing Lazarus rise, but Martha believed first.

Like Martha, we often rely on what we know. We want answers, control, and certainty. But faith asks us to trust even when we don’t understand. In moments of grief and loss, we ask, “Lord, where are You?” But sometimes, the answer isn’t an explanation—it’s an invitation to believe.

Fr. Toto Cerada, SDB

reflection question

This Lent, Jesus asks us the same question: “Do you believe?” Faith is not blind; it is a deeper kind of knowing, born from trust and surrender. And when we believe, we begin to see.

Lord, this Lenten season, teach me to trust You fully. Help me surrender my fears, strengthen my faith, and believe in Your promises, even in the midst of uncertainty. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ______________________________________________