On this Fifth Sunday of Lent, in the Gospel reading, we hear about Jesus' greatest sign. This is the raising of Lazarus of Bethany four days after his death. This miracle illustrates the truth of Jesus' statement, in John 11:25 "I AM the Resurrection and The Life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die." In the midst of deep grief over losing her brother to death, Jesus call Martha to faith, asking her, in John 11:26, "Do you believe this?" We are called by Jesus to the same faith. Our belief in Jesus as The Resurrection and The Life is, ultimately, the reason we believe in Him at all. Jesus is clear, in John 3:15, that "so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life." Thus, faith in Christ leads to eternal life. This is the ultimate goal and fulfillment of our lives. We look forward in hope to life eternal and our eventual rising from the dead on the Last Day. Scripture is clear that for God's faithful people, an eternity of joy awaits that cannot be grasped by our mortal understanding. In the midst of our life's losses and struggles, Jesus invites us to faith. Martha professes her faith in Jesus before her brother was raised to life. She believed without seeing, but her faith led her to witness this unfathomable miracle. Before Lazarus was raised, all hope seemed lost and Jesus seemed to have failed in His friendship with His friends who needed Him. Despite how things appeared, though, God's powerful love was at work. As we prepare to celebrate Palm Sunday next week, let us reflect upon the Good News of Jesus' love and mercy shown us through this Sunday's Gospel and embrace Jesus' call to faith in Him as The Resurrection and the Life.