MONTHLY DEVOTIONAL FOR 22 MARCH
March 22, 2026
TODAY’S GOSPEL READING
22 MARCH, 2026
John 11:1–45
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death; it is for the glory of God.”
When Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 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 from God, God will give you.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.”
Jesus wept. Then he came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth.
Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD!
REFLECTION
This Gospel reveals Jesus as the Lord of life, even in the face of death. Martha’s faith is real, yet limited—she believes in a future resurrection, but Jesus calls her to trust in Him as the present source of life.
In raising Lazarus, Jesus shows that no situation is beyond His power—not even what seems final, sealed, and hopeless. He enters our grief, even weeping with us, yet He does not leave us there. He calls us out of our tombs—our fears, sins, and despair—into new life.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus,
You are the resurrection and the life.
In moments when I feel lost, burdened, or without hope,
help me to trust in Your power to renew and restore.
Call me out of whatever holds me bound,
and lead me into the freedom of new life.
Strengthen my faith to believe in You more deeply each day. Amen
