God’s Perfect Timing

“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”. (John 11:17-21)
The emotion-filled exclamation above from Martha, later repeated by Mary, were enough to make Jesus weep. It is worth noting that the death of Lazarus is the only time in scripture that elicits tears from the Lord and is one of only a handful of times where Jesus expresses any emotion. The relationship between the human and divine natures of Christ, known as the Hypostatic Union, is a mystery that cannot be fully explained. While Jesus was informed by his divine nature that Lazarus would come back to life, he empathized according to his humanity to the intense suffering that Martha and Mary were experiencing.
During every believer’s life there are times of doubt as it relates to God’s divine providence. The trust that emanates from faith sometimes gives way to what we perceive through our natural means and faculties. St. Paul addresses this in scripture in the following (now famous) phrase:
“So we are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Cor 5:6-7)
The two natures of Christ, according to Church teaching, coexist without confusion with separate yet seamless integration. To act according to his humanity with full access to his divinity is something only the second person of the Blessed Trinity could accomplish. Mary, Martha and the whole of humankind must operate under the tension that exists between human and divine realities. The English translation of Tantum Ergo contains the following words which can serve to illustrate the balance of faith and sight in our lives: “What the senses fail to fathom, let us grasp through faith’s consent”
Let us pray for a greater understanding and appreciation of God’s perfect timing and providence as we journey through Lent toward the Easter Sacraments.