Jesus is approaching Bethany, where Lazarus has been dead for four days. Informed of this, his sister Martha runs to meet him with hope. Jesus loved her, her sister Mary, and Lazarus very much, as the Gospel emphasizes (cf. Jn 11, 5). Even in the midst of her pain, Martha expresses her trust in the Lord, convinced that if she had been present before her brother's death, he would still be alive, but that even now, any request she made to God would be granted. "Your brother will rise again" (Jn 11, 23), Jesus then affirms.
"Do you believe this?"
After having clarified that he is referring to the return of Lazarus to physical life here and now, and not only to what awaits the believer after death, Jesus asks Martha for her faith, not only to perform one of his miracles – which the evangelist John calls “signs” – but to grant her, as to all believers, a new life and resurrection. “I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn 11:25), Jesus affirms. And the faith he demands of her is a personal relationship with him, an active and dynamic adherence. Believing is not like accepting a contract that is signed once and never looked at again, but rather a fact that transforms and permeates daily life.
"Do you believe this?"
Jesus invites us to live a new life here and now. He invites us to experience it every day, knowing that, as we rediscovered at Christmas, he himself has brought it to us, taking the initiative to seek us out and come among us.
How to answer your question? Let's look at Martha, Lazarus's sister.
In her dialogue with Jesus, a profession of complete faith in him springs forth. The original Greek expresses it even more forcefully. The "I believe" she utters means "I have come to believe," "I firmly believe" that "you are the Christ, the Son of God who was to come into the world" (cf. Jn 11, 27), with all the consequences. It is a conviction matured over time, tested by the various circumstances he has faced in life.
The Lord addresses his question to me as well. He asks of me, too, a generous trust in him and adherence to his way of life, founded on generous and concrete love for all. Perseverance will mature my faith, which will be strengthened by daily seeing the truth of Jesus' words put into practice, and which will continue to be expressed in my daily actions with everyone. To begin with, we can make our own the apostles' prayer to Jesus: "Increase our faith" (Lc 17, 5).
"Do you believe this?"
“One of my daughters had lost her job at the same time as all her colleagues, because the government had closed the public agency where they worked,” says Patricia, from Latin America. “As a form of protest, they had organized a camp outside the headquarters. I tried to support them by participating in some of their activities, bringing them food, or simply stopping to talk with them. On Holy Thursday, a group of priests accompanying them decided to hold a ceremony that also offered listening opportunities, the Gospel was read, and the act of washing feet was performed in remembrance of what Jesus had done. Most of those present were not religious; however, it was a moment of profound unity, brotherhood, and hope. They felt embraced and, moved, thanked the priests who accompanied them in the midst of uncertainty and suffering.”
This word of Jesus has been chosen as the motto for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2025. So let us pray and strive so that our common belief may move us to seek brotherhood with all: this is God's proposal and desire for humanity, but it requires our adherence. Prayer and action will be effective if they are born from this trust in God and our acting accordingly.
Silvano Malini and the Word of Life team
