Fifth Sunday of Lent

The Fifth Sunday of Lent

First Reading: Ezekiel 37:12-14 “I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back.”

Psalm: 130  “With the Lord, there is mercy and fullness of redemption.”

Second Reading: Romans 8:8-11  “The One who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also.”

Gospel: John 11:1-45 “I am the Resurrection and the Life; whoever believes in Me, even if he dies, will live.”

Today the prophet Ezekiel prophesies the resurrection from the dead which we profess in our Creed. We believe that when Jesus comes again at the end of time, He will raise our bodies from the dead as glorified bodies, which will be reunited with our souls. We have been created as a body and soul hylomorphic being. At death, body and soul are temporarily separated. At the end of time, we will once again be (glorified) body and soul. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life; He will give life to our bodies, and give it more abundantly. God promises: “I will put my Spirit in you that you may live…thus you shall know that I am the Lord.” Blessed be the Lord!

Today’s psalmist cries out from the depths of the heart: “Lord, hear my voice!” The psalmist begs for the Lord to be “attentive to my voice in supplication.” Have you ever sought the Lord from the depths of your soul? If so, you know that He is always there for us, always ready to listen and forgive, to encourage and support us. All we need to do is turn away from our sin and seek His face. “With You is forgiveness, that You may be revered.” “For with the Lord is kindness and with Him is plenteous redemption,” for He loves us more than we can know. Turn to Him with contrition and soak in His love!

The Second Reading comes from Paul’s letter to the Romans. St. Paul contrasts flesh with spirit in this reading: “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.” To be “in the flesh” is to be attached to the passing things of this world: wealth, honor, power, and pleasure. To be “in the Spirit” is to be attached to the things of God. “If Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” Come to life by living in the love of the Lord! Put love of God first in your life and you will truly be alive in the Spirit.

St. John narrates the miraculous raising of Jesus’ friend Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus had been dead for four days; ancient Jewish thinking was that the soul might hang around the body for three days, but on the fourth day, you were “really” dead. The raising of Lazarus, therefore, was an astounding wonder. Many people came to believe in Jesus because of this miracle, and the animus of the Pharisees and the Sadducees increased because of this phenomenon.

Jesus elicits from the sisters of Lazarus, Martha and Mary, an Act of Faith in Him. He asks the sisters: “I am the Resurrection and the Life…do you believe this?” Martha says to Him, “Yes, Lord…you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Can we, too, profess our faith in Jesus this way? Have we come to believe that He is the Christ, the Messiah, our Redeemer? Mary makes a similar Act of Faith in Jesus: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” She, too, believes that Jesus is the giver of Life. If you’ve ever felt dead inside due to some spiritual struggle or mental or emotional challenge, call upon Jesus. He will put His Spirit into you and have you rise from that grave inside of you.

Jesus addresses the Father in words of trust: “I thank You for hearing Me. I know that You always hear Me.” We, too, can pray this way; we, too, can make an Act of Faith in Him. Believe that He hears you when you call upon His Name. This does not mean that you will receive everything you want from Him; He knows what is right and good for us. He hears us when we speak to Him and He gives us everything we need. We receive every good gift from Him, and we ought to thank Him for His great love for us.

When Lazarus emerges from the tomb, Jesus instructs the people to “untie him and let him go.” Lazarus needed to be set free from his bonds after he was set free from death. At times, we, too, find ourselves in bondage to earthly trappings of wealth, honor, power, and pleasure. Only God can free us from these bindings. Call to Him and ask Him to save you, to untie you and let you go from the earthly attachments which keep you from living in Him. He will be sure to help you. Praise the Lord!