Never Alone

Monday, March 25, 2024 12:00 pm EST

Jennifer Boggess, the Visitor Services Lead at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, introduces the 16th-century painting, Christ with Mary and Martha by Rocco Marconi.

Marconi specialized in half-length multifigure narratives and created many. Because of this, sources at first debated the content of our picture but ultimately identified this scene as Christ with Mary and Martha.

In the foreground, the sisters converse with Jesus, who came to them following the death of their brother, Lazarus, whom he loved. The artist likely depicts the verses in which Jesus asks to see the tomb where he will weep before it, order it to be opened, and raise Lazarus from the dead.

By focusing on this poignant moment before Lazarus is restored to life, the image explores themes of friendship, death, grief, and ultimately faith. Sharing in her grief-stricken humanity, our hearts exclaim with Martha, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” But we also claim in hope as Martha did, “And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

As we enter this blessed Holy Week, let us reflect on the gift of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, for in them, we see a clear demonstration of how Jesus loves and cares for his friends. He does not leave us alone in our grief but bears it with us, shedding tears like ours. Likewise, he does not abandon us to death. Enduring death himself, he overcomes and transforms it, thus granting us the gift of eternal life through his sacrifice.

This Lent, ThinkND invites you to join FaithND and the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art for a journey of Lenten discovery through some of the most significant liturgical paintings in the Raclin Murphy collection, challenging you to contemplate prayer, fasting, sinfulness, mercy, grace, and God’s infinite love from the perspectives of the artist’s gaze. To subscribe to the FaithND Daily Gospel Reflection visit faith.nd.edu/signup.