January 10th Fast

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JMJ

"When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother.  When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.  Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  (But) even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise."  Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day."  Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."
. . . So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.  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."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?"So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you for hearing me.  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."  And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice,  "Lazarus, come out!"  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."  Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him." (John 11:17-27, 38-45)

As Christians we are taught from our earliest days the power of prayer and the necessity of suffering.  Sorrows accompany every life but the Christian lens allows a person to see the efficaciousness of its acceptance, and subsequent offering of it back to God.  But, what of the power of prayer?   Christ tells us to take up our cross daily and follow Him, but He also encourages perseverance in prayer.  The saints had such great faith that their prayers often had miraculous effects.  

When Lazarus died, Martha did not wait for our Lord to come and console her and Mary but rushed out immediately to Him, entreating Him to work a miracle, confident in His power to do so.  Our Lord often said to those he healed, "Go, your faith has saved you."  Our faith is a beautiful gift that gives us the double-edged sword of perseverance in prayer yet acceptance of God's will.  Both are vital in any vocation.  Crosses will come without being petitioned; these must accepted prayerfully, not begrudgingly.  St. Elizabeth Ann Seton said:

"Faith lifts the staggering soul on one side. Hope supports it on the other. Experience says it must be, and love says - let it be."

We cannot complain away a problem or nag a person into submission; rather God asks us to enter into the abyss of His mercy and prayerfully ask for guidance, understanding, and courage.  Have faith in the power of prayer and sacrifice!  God would not have allowed His Son to suffer son if He did not desire what we ourselves all hope for: eternal salvation for ourselves and our families.