God is Merciful and Gracious!

July 29, 2025 Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus
Daily Readings: Exodus 33:7–11; 34:5b–9, 28; John 11:19–27 or Luke 10:38–42
The journey through the desert (Fertile Crescent) required the people of Israel to move constantly. Each time, Moses ensured that the tent of meeting was pitched outside the camp. Anyone who wished to encounter the Lord would go there. When Moses entered the tent, a pillar of cloud would descend upon it a visible sign of God’s presence. Seeing this, the people would rise, stand, and bow in reverence. The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.
In one such encounter, Moses comes to recognize God’s very nature: merciful, gracious, slow to anger, rich in steadfast love, and faithful. God forgives all iniquities and transgressions. Overwhelmed in the Divine presence, Moses bows down and worships. It is also remarkable that he remained in God’s presence for forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. During this sacred time, he inscribed the words of the covenant the Ten Commandments.
Today, the Church commemorates the disciples from Bethany Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. The Gospel reading from John 11:19–27 recounts the death of Lazarus. Jesus arrives late, and a grieving Martha meets Him, saying her brother would not have died if Jesus had been there. Yet she expresses hope in the resurrection on the last day.
At this moment, Jesus declares, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Those who believe in Him will live, even though they die. Martha responds with a powerful confession: “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” Her statement is profound on par with Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16 and Mark 8:29, and Thomas’s in John 20:28.
Call to Action: Martha challenges us to deepen our faith in the resurrection. Can I, like her, make such a confession—not just in words, but in the way I live and believe?
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.