Jesus weeps at Lazarus's tomb, then tells Martha that belief will let her see God's glory.
This Lectio Divina session is among the longer episodes in this series, covering the Lazarus narrative from John 11, which is the Gospel assigned for the fifth Sunday of Lent in Year A of the Catholic liturgical cycle. The episode opens with the Sign of the Cross and Hail Mary before beginning the reading. The sisters of Lazarus — Martha and Mary — send word to Jesus that the one he loves is ill. Jesus responds by saying the illness is not to end in death but is for God's glory, and delays two days before returning to Judea. The delay is theologically significant: it ensures Lazarus will have been dead four days before Jesus arrives, making the miracle unambiguous. Jesus arrives to find Lazarus already in the tomb for four days. Martha goes out to meet him, while Mary stays at home. Martha's opening statement is a rebuke and a confession simultaneously — if Jesus had been there, her brother would not have died, yet she still believes God will grant Jesus anything he asks. Jesus tells her Lazarus will rise. Martha interprets this as a reference to the final resurrection. Jesus then makes one of the seven 'I am' statements in John's Gospel: 'I am the resurrection and the life.' He asks Martha whether she believes this, and she responds with a full christological confession, naming him as the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world. Jesus then approaches the tomb, visibly troubled. He asks where Lazarus has been laid, is brought to see the tomb, and weeps. The crowd notes how much Jesus loved Lazarus, while some question why he did not prevent the death. At the tomb, Martha warns of the stench because Lazarus has been dead four days. Jesus reminds her that those who believe will see God's glory. He prays publicly, thanking the Father for hearing him and acknowledging that the prayer is spoken so the crowd may believe he was sent by God. He then cries out for Lazarus to come out, and Lazarus emerges wrapped in burial bands. Jesus instructs the bystanders to unbind him. Many Jews who had come to comfort Mary witness the event and believe in Jesus. The passage is read three times in the transcript, consistent with Lectio Divina practice. The session closes with the Our Father and the Sign of the Cross.
