Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus — Daily Word

Opening Greeting

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Welcome, dear brothers and sisters, as we gather on this Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus to find refuge, comfort, and hope in the Word of the Lord.

Penitential Act

Lord Jesus, you are the resurrection and the life: Lord, have mercy. Christ Jesus, you draw near to us on our day of distress: Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you fill our hearts with eternal hope: Lord, have mercy.

♪ “Penitential Act (Organ)” — A song for Ben

Liturgy of the Word

Reading 1 · Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21

Woe to me, mother, that you gave me birth! a man of strife and contention to all the land! I neither borrow nor lend, yet all curse me. When I found your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart, Because I bore your name, O LORD, God of hosts. I did not sit celebrating in the circle of merrymakers; Under the weight of your hand I sat alone because you filled me with indignation. Why is my pain continuous, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? You have indeed become for me a treacherous brook, whose waters do not abide! Thus the LORD answered me: If you repent, so that I restore you, in my presence you shall stand; If you bring forth the precious without the vile, you shall be my mouthpiece. Then it shall be they who turn to you, and you shall not turn to them; And I will make you toward this people a solid wall of brass. Though they fight against you, they shall not prevail, For I am with you, to deliver and rescue you, says the LORD. I will free you from the hand of the wicked, and rescue you from the grasp of the violent.

Responsorial Psalm · Psalm 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18

♪ “22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C” — CJM Music (cjmmusic.com)

Gospel · John 11:19-27

Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died]. 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 anyone 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 Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”orLuke 10:38-42Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Alleluia

♪ International Liturgy Publications (ilpmusic.org)

God is my refuge on the day of distress.

Homily

In today’s Gospel, Martha runs out to meet Jesus and speaks from the very depth of her aching heart: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

How many times have we whispered those same words in our quietest moments? *If only…*

It is so natural for a grieving heart to retrace every step, to wonder if something more could have been done, or to carry a quiet, heavy stone of misplaced guilt. But listen to how Jesus answers Martha. He does not scold her. He does not lay blame. He simply reveals the deepest truth of heaven and earth: “I am the resurrection and the life… Do you believe this?”

Jesus gently lifts that heavy weight of *“if only.”* To Alan and Thao, to Ryan, and to every family carrying a silent sorrow: know this with absolute certainty—you missed nothing. You loved with every beat of your heart. Sorrow and loss do not come from God, nor are they ever a punishment or anyone’s fault. God does not accuse you… and you must not accuse yourselves.

Jeremiah reminds us today that even in pain, God’s word can become “the joy and the happiness of my heart.” For as our Psalm echoes, God truly is our refuge on the day of distress.

We remember Benjamin Vo today—a boy whose eyes so often looked up with wonder. Ben had a wonderful, quiet passion for aviation. He loved commercial jets, especially the Boeing 737, and loved nothing more than airport spotting alongside his father. Standing there, watching those great planes lift effortlessly into the sky, Benjamin saw beauty and joy taking flight.

That same spirit of soaring joy belonged to Benjamin. His gentle heart brought light to his entire family—his mom, his dad, and his brother Ryan. Today, Ben’s soul has taken flight into an even greater expanse—held safely in the arms of the God who is Life itself.

To Alan, Thao, and dear Ryan… to Ben's aunts, uncles, and all who loved him… and to everyone joining us from afar, especially children who suffer and families carrying a heavy cross: Jesus sees you and holds you close today. Benjamin Vo is not lost to God. He rests in the light of the Resurrection, watching over you with love… until the day we all soar together into eternal life.

Meditation

♪ “The Solid Ground (Choral)” — A song for Ben

Universal Prayer

For the intentions entrusted to Ben on our prayer wall:

“I miss you so much Ben” — Dad