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Okay. And then go.

Wonder opens our hearts too. Beauty in the ordinary.

Miracles everywhere.

Holy moments. Don't let the world steal your wonder.

Lazarus was Jesus' friend. God holds friendship in great esteem. Friendship is a relationship of mutual trust and respect in which two people display deep care and support for each other through the ups and downs of life. Friends enjoy each other's company. The following story, which we encounter in chapter 11 of the Gospel of John, demonstrates the elevated regard that Jesus had for friendship among all other human activity. It is a thing of beauty to witness Jesus honor friendship. God loves friendship. Some miracles are public, others are personal. The raising of Lazarus from the dead is both. But at the heart of this miracle is friendship. Lazarus is not a stranger to Jesus. He is Jesus' friend.

Along with his sisters, Martha and Mary of Bethany, Lazarus belongs to a home where Jesus is welcomed, understood, and loved. Bethany was a place of rest for Jesus. During the last week of his life, he spent every night there except the night in the Garden of Gethsemane. When Lazarus becomes seriously ill, the sisters send word to Jesus. They don't instruct him. They don't pressure him. They appeal to love with this simple message. Lord, the one you love is ill. Jesus gets the message, and yet He does something deeply unsettling. He waits. Lazarus dies. He's buried in a tomb. And four days pass. If you've ever prayed sincerely and felt that God delayed, this story is for you. Jesus' delay isn't indifference. Scripture makes it unmistakably clear Jesus loves this family. But love does not always rush. Sometimes it allows events to unfold so that a deeper glory can be revealed.

When Jesus finally arrives, Martha goes out to meet him. Her words are honest and full of faith. Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. This is not an accusation. It is trust mixed with grief. Jesus doesn't scold Martha. He meets her exactly where she is in that moment, drenched in grief and confusion, and speaks one of the most profound lines in the entire Bible, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? "Yes, Lord," Martha replied. I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world. Not a concept, not a future event, a person living and present. Mary approaches next. She says the same words as her sister, but she weeps. And then something extraordinary happens. We read these two words, Jesus wept. Two words, the shortest verse in the Bible reveals the unmitigated humanity of Jesus Christ. Jesus doesn't remain untouched by human suffering. He enters it fully. This miracle reminds us that Jesus does not stand at a distance from our grief. He stands inside it with us. He occupies our suffering with us. A crowd has gathered now. These people know Jesus. He spent a lot of time in their village, and they all begin to walk toward Lazarus's tomb. "Take away the stone," Jesus commands. Martha hesitates.

She isn't lacking faith, just pointing out the reality. Lazarus has been dead for four days. The body has begun to decay. The stench would have been overwhelming. The risk of disease spreading would also be great. This is the moment where hope runs headlong into the facts. Martha's hesitation is deeply human. She believes in resurrection, but she has never considered it like this. And yet, Jesus insists because resurrection doesn't deny reality, it faces it and trusts God anyway.

Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God? Jesus reminds her. And then Jesus prays, aloud for everyone to hear. He bears witness to the Father. He wants the crowd to understand His friendship with the Father. And then He cries out with authority, "Lazarus, come out. Lazarus, come out." The dead man obeys. Lazarus emerges from the tomb alive but still bound in burial cloth.

And Jesus gives one final instruction that is easy to overlook, "Unbind him and let him go." Lasmus is alive, but he needs others to help him remove what belongs to death. There's something powerful here, a powerful practical lesson. God raises us to new life, but He often asks others to help free us from what still binds us. Jesus restores life. Marriage and family help restore trust and connection. Community helps restore identity and belonging.

Friendship helps restore emotional regulation and accountability without shame. Spiritual leaders help restore a sense of purpose and mission. Healing is rarely instantaneous and isolated. We need one another to remove the old fears, toxic habits, and wounds that don't belong in our resurrected lives. What aspect of your life needs to be resurrected? Has your prayer become inconsistent? Does a specific addiction have a hold on you?

Have your personal finances become a source of constant stress? Has your career lost its sense of purpose or momentum? Has anxiety become the default emotion shaping your thoughts and decisions? Have you lost your sense of gratitude to entitlement and comparison is your marriage weighed down by resentment? Has your self-respect been eroded by guilt and shame? Have you let go of the daily disciplines that once anchored your days? Have you compromised your integrity with small but repeated concessions? Has your patience and compassion been worn thin by stress and exhaustion? Is there a broken friendship you assumed was beyond repair? Have you lost your confidence to criticism and rejection? Are you struggling to find the courage to begin again after a particular failure? Have you abandoned a dream? Each of us has tombs in our lives, areas where hope feels sealed off, where something precious has been lost. We assume it's too late. The story of Lazarus confronts that assumption directly. Four days dead, a sealed tomb, and still, Jesus calls Lazarus forward to new life. "Come out," he says. This is what Jesus is saying to you in your tomb today. Come out. Whatever binds you is not beyond his power. Whatever tries to dishearten you has no authority over his relentless encouragement. Whatever you feel is too late is never too late for Jesus. Whatever you have failed at is not beyond redemption. Whatever you thought was finished isn't finished until God declares it finished. Whatever darkness you've learned to live with is waiting on his great light. Whatever feels dead in your life doesn't get the final word. Whoever has written you off isn't God. Whatever you assume is beyond God's repair is exactly what God delights in transforming. Because the God who weeps with us is the same God who raises the dead. And there is one thing more, and it is no small thing. The same Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life, true God and true man, the way, the truth, and the life, the light of the world, the Good Shepherd, the Prince of Peace, the Son of David, the Lamb of God, the living water, the vine, the cornerstone, the alpha and the omega, the first and the last. The Word made flesh, the Lord of lords, the King of Kings, the Holy One of God, and the Savior of the world stands before your tomb and calls you by name. This same Jesus wants to be your friend. So let us listen to St. Augustine when he counsels us. This very moment, you may, if you desire, become a friend of God.

Trust.

Surrender.

Believe.

Receive.

God doesn't need your strength. He wants your surrender.

In today's lesson, St. Augustine counsels us, this very moment, you may, if you desire, become a friend of God. The same Jesus who raised Lazarus from the dead wants to be your friend. This is an opportunity so profound that it would leave us dumbstruck with or if we truly understood its magnitude. What could possibly improve your life more than a rigorous friendship with Jesus?

Today's virtue is understanding. Understanding is the virtue that allows the mind to grasp divine truths, not merely on an intellectual level, but with interior clarity and spiritual insight. Understanding penetrates beneath the surface of events and teachings, helping us to perceive God's presence, His purpose, and His goodness, even when circumstances remain painful and confusing. Understanding is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Ask the Spirit to help you grow in understanding of God's will more and more with each passing day of your life. If you haven't read The Way of Surrender and Seasons of Surrender yet, I want to encourage you to pick up the bundle today. If you haven't taken the assessment, you have to take this assessment. Very, very, very powerful. So click the button below, grab your bundle of books today. Have a great day, and remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

God of miracles, wonders, and grace, I thank You for all the good you have done in my life.

For the miracles I recognize, and the many graces I so often overlook.

I open my heart completely to You today, inviting You to completely inhabit my soul, so that through me, others may encounter Your love, Your mercy, Your compassion, Your kindness, and Your staggering generosity.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Don't let the world steal your wonder. See you tomorrow.

See you tomorrow.

Have a great day.

Have a great day!