March 22, 2026
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Lectionary: 34
Reading
I
Thus says the Lord
GOD:
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.
Responsorial
Psalm
R. (7) With the
Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
More than sentinels wait for the dawn,
let Israel wait for the LORD.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
Reading
II
Brothers and
sisters:
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.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit dwelling in you.
Verse
Before the Gospel
I am the
resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will never die.
Gospel
Now a man was ill,
Lazarus from Bethany,
the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil
and dried his feet with her hair;
it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.
So the sisters sent word to him saying,
“Master, the one you love is ill.”
When Jesus heard this he said,
“This illness is not to end in death,
but is for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So when he heard that he was ill,
he remained for two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples,
“Let us go back to Judea.”
The disciples said to him,
“Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you,
and you want to go back there?”
Jesus answered,
“Are there not twelve hours in a day?
If one walks during the day, he does not stumble,
because he sees the light of this world.
But if one walks at night, he stumbles,
because the light is not in him.”
He said this, and then told them,
“Our friend Lazarus is asleep,
but I am going to awaken him.”
So the disciples said to him,
“Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.”
But Jesus was talking about his death,
while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep.
So then Jesus said to them clearly,
“Lazarus has died.
And I am glad for you that I was not there,
that you may believe.
Let us go to him.”
So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples,
“Let us also go to die with him.”
When Jesus
arrived, he found that Lazarus
had already been in the tomb for four days.
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.
And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
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 of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“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.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”
When she had said
this,
she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying,
“The teacher is here and is asking for you.”
As soon as she heard this,
she rose quickly and went to him.
For Jesus had not yet come into the village,
but was still where Martha had met him.
So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her
saw Mary get up quickly and go out,
they followed her,
presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him,
she fell at his feet and said to him,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping,
he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,
“Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
But some of them said,
“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man
have done something so that this man would not have died?”
So Jesus,
perturbed again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,
“Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days.”
Jesus said to her,
“Did I not tell you that if you believe
you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said,
“Father, I thank you for hearing me.
I know that you always hear me;
but because of the crowd here I have said this,
that they may believe that you sent me.”
And when he had said this,
He cried out in a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out,
tied hand and foot with burial bands,
and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
So Jesus said to them,
“Untie him and let him go.”
Now many of the
Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what he had done began to believe in him.
OR:
John 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45
The sisters of
Lazarus sent word to Jesus, saying,
“Master, the one you love is ill.”
When Jesus heard this he said,
“This illness is not to end in death,
but is for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So when he heard that he was ill,
he remained for two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples,
"Let us go back to Judea.”
When Jesus
arrived, he found that Lazarus
had already been in the tomb for four days.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
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 of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“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.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”
He became
perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,
“Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
But some of them said,
“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man
have done something so that this man would not have died?”
So Jesus, perturbed
again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,
“Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days.”
Jesus said to her,
“Did I not tell you that if you believe
you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said,
“Father, I thank you for hearing me.
I know that you always hear me;
but because of the crowd here I have said this,
that they may believe that you sent me.”
And when he had said this,
He cried out in a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out,
tied hand and foot with burial bands,
and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
So Jesus said to them,
“Untie him and let him go.”
Now many of the
Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what he had done began to believe in him.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032226.cfm
Sunday of Week
5 Lent (Year A, B or C)
Note: On this, the Fifth Sunday in Lent, we celebrate the
Mass for the third and final of the three ‘Scrutinies’. The Scrutinies are
special rites that help prepare the Elect (those participating in the Order of
Christian Initiation of Adults) to enter the Catholic Church. The readings
discussed in this commentary, while ‘proper’ for Year A, may also be used in
Years B and C when there are catechumens present who will be baptised at
Easter. Click on the links below for the commentaries on readings proper for
Years B and C:
______________________________________________________
Commentary on
Ezekiel 37:12-14; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45
As we approach Holy Week, we see Jesus come closer to the
climax of his life and mission. As he comes near to Jerusalem, the
setting for the final drama of his life, the threats of his enemies increase by
the day. They are rallying their forces to get rid of him once for all.
The disciples are quite aware of the situation and not very
keen on going anywhere near Jerusalem. They are quite alarmed, then, when
Jesus says:
Let us go to Judea again.
They remind him about the last time he was there (remember,
Jerusalem is in Judea):
Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and
are you going there again?
Jesus lets them know that fear and danger cannot be the
deciding factors in his life and mission:
Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk
during the day do not stumble because they see the light of this world.
There are times for things to be done, tasks to be
accomplished, missions to be carried out. Whatever the risks involved, they
have to be done and done now.
‘Lazarus is dead’
Jesus then gives his reason for wanting to go south.
Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going
there to awaken him.
You can almost hear the reaction of the disciples: “You are
putting yourself—and us—in great danger just to wake someone up?! Why
disturb him? Sleep is good for him!”
Then they are told bluntly, “Lazarus is dead.” For the
believer, death is but a sleep from which one wakes to a new and unending
life. And Jesus says he is glad, not because a close friend has died, but
because it will be an opportunity for his disciples to know Jesus better, to
increase their faith in who he is.
Thomas, the outspoken one, then says with bravado:
Let us also go, that we may die with him.
This could be understood in a cynical sense, but it also
expressed the Christian calling to be with Jesus all the way, even into his
suffering and death.
The house at Bethany
Jesus now approaches the home of Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha and Mary,
in Bethany, just outside Jerusalem. Mary stays grieving in the house,
while Martha comes out to greet Jesus. (It is interesting how their characters
here conform to the image we have of them from Luke’s Gospel, where Mary stays
at Jesus’ feet, listening, while Martha is not content to sit, instead busying
herself with making dinner).
Martha says,
Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have
died.
Jesus, already recognised as a source of life and healing
assures Martha:
Your brother will rise again.
Martha says she knows, but her understanding is only in the
conventional sense of a final resurrection.
But Jesus goes on:
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.
To which Martha replies magnificently, recognising in Jesus
the Messiah:
Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of
God, the one coming into the world.
The profession of faith reserved in the Synoptic Gospels for
Peter, is here heard on the lips of a woman. Remember too, that it was a
woman, the Samaritan woman at the well, to whom Jesus first revealed his
identity as the Christ.
The words of Jesus say two things:
- While
physical death is the experience of all—Christians included—faith in Jesus
brings promise of a life that never ends.
- One
who is totally united with Christ begins to enjoy right now true and
never-ending life. It is not just something for the future.
The Master calls
Jesus is still outside the village as Martha goes to call her sister.
The Teacher is here and is calling for you.
The Greek word for ‘is here’ is parestin, which
corresponds to the noun parousia, the definitive appearance of
Jesus in our lives. When Jesus comes—and he comes every day—he calls us
and expects us to respond to his presence with the same eagerness that Mary
did.
Grief at a friend’s death
In spite of the deeply symbolical and spiritual language that this passage
contains, we come to the very human experience of people faced with
death. Jesus himself is overcome with grief at the death of a close friend.
The words indicate the intensity of Jesus’ feelings:
…he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply
moved…Jesus began to weep…[he was] greatly disturbed…
Just before giving life back to Lazarus, Jesus prays to his
Father. Jesus is no mere wonder-worker. He is simply doing the work
of God his Father, the Creator, Source and Giver of all life.
The ‘sign’ about to take place, is to lead people, through
Jesus, to the Father who sent him. Union with our God is the one and only
meaning of our living.
Many questions
The actual raising of Lazarus seems almost an anti-climax. It is
expressed in the briefest language and there are many questions we might have
(e.g. What did he look like? How did he walk? What did he say?…), which are
simply not answered. The story wants us to focus on the central ‘sign’, which
only confirms what Jesus had said of himself:
I AM the resurrection and the life.
It is the fulfilment of the prophecy from Ezekiel in the
First Reading. This reading is part of the famous parable of the valley
full of dead bones which are brought to life, a parable about Israel, dead in
sin and idolatry, being brought back to life in God. In today’s Gospel,
Lazarus represents all those who are being brought back to life, life in
God. He represents especially all those who are brought into new life by
baptism, sharing the very life of God.
As this is the final Sunday of the three “Scrutinies”,
today’s reading, like the Gospels of the last two Sundays (the Samaritan Woman
and the Man Born Blind), is directed at those preparing for Baptism at Easter.
(See the description of the Scrutinies at the beginning of the commentaries
from the last two Sundays.) Baptism, as Paul tells us, is both a dying from
one’s past and an entry into new life. The newly baptised person is a
‘new person’ with a new life.
For us already baptised, we can do well to reflect on how
much we have continued to see that life growing in us. That is the theme
of Paul in the Second Reading. Those whose lives are embedded in the
“flesh”, that is, those whose lives are given over to their instincts of greed
and self-indulgence, can never be close to God.
Those who are in the Spirit will want to give their whole
selves to the higher instincts of truth, love, compassion, sharing and
justice. When we are full of that Spirit then we have truly risen with
Christ, for his life is truly active in us. We are both alive and
life-giving. As Paul said:
…it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives
in me.
(Gal 2:20)
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/labc051/
Sunday,
March 22, 2026
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures
with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In
the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the
presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the
cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life
and of resurrection. Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice
in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the
poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two
disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and
witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity,
justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us
the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.
Reading: John 11, 1-45
A Key to Guide the Reading:
Let us read the
text, which describes the resurrection of Lazarus. During the reading, try to
follow the group, the disciples who follow Jesus from Galilee to Bethany. You
must follow attentively all the events, from the time that the announcement of
the sickness of the Martha and Mary’s brother was sent to Jesus who was in
Galilee, to the time of the resurrection of Lazarus.
A Division of the Text to Assist a Careful
Reading:
•
John 11, 1-16: Jesus hears the news and sets out
for Bethany to raise Lazarus.
•
John 11, 17-31: Jesus meets the two sisters and
Martha’s profession of faith.
•
John 11, 32-45: The great sign of the
resurrection of Lazarus. The Text:
1-16: There was a man named
Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister, Martha, and he was ill.
It was the same Mary, the sister of the sick man Lazarus, who anointed the Lord
with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. The sisters sent this message
to Jesus, 'Lord, the man you love is ill.' On
receiving the message, Jesus said,
'This sickness will not end in death, but it is for God's glory so that through
it the Son of God may be glorified.' Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus,
yet when he heard that he was ill he stayed where he was for two more days
before saying to the disciples, 'Let us go back to Judaea.' The disciples said,
'Rabbi, it is not long since the Jews were trying to stone you; are you going
back there again?' Jesus replied: Are there not twelve hours in the day? No one
who walks in the daytime stumbles, having the light of this world to see by;
anyone who walks around at night stumbles, having no light as a guide. He said
that and then added, 'Our friend Lazarus is at rest; I am going to wake him.'
The disciples said to him, 'Lord, if he is at rest he will be saved.' Jesus was
speaking of the death of Lazarus, but they thought that by 'rest' he meant
'sleep'; so Jesus put it plainly, 'Lazarus is dead; and for your sake I am glad
I was not there because now you will believe. But let us go to him.' Then
Thomas-- known as the Twin -- said to the other disciples, 'Let us also go to
die with him.'
17-31: On arriving, Jesus found
that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days already. Bethany is only about
two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort
them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to
meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if
you had been here, my brother would not have died, but even now I know that God
will grant whatever you ask of him.' Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise
again.' Martha said, 'I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last
day.' Jesus said: I am the resurrection. Anyone who believes in me, even though
that person dies, will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never
die. Do you believe this? 'Yes, Lord,' she said, 'I believe that you are the
Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.' When she had
said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in a low voice, 'The
Master is here and wants to see you.' Hearing this, Mary got up quickly and
went to him. Jesus had not yet come into the village; he was still at the place
where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were in the house comforting Mary
saw her get up so quickly and go out, they followed her, thinking that she was
going to the tomb to weep there.
32-45: Mary went to Jesus, and as soon as she saw him she
threw herself at his feet, saying, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother
would not have died.' At the sight of her tears, and those of the Jews who had
come with her, Jesus was greatly distressed, and with a profound sigh he said,
'Where have you put him?' They said, 'Lord, come and see.' Jesus wept; and the
Jews said, 'See how much he loved him!' But there were some who remarked, 'He
opened the eyes of the blind man. Could he not have prevented this man's
death?' Sighing again, Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to
close the opening. Jesus said, 'Take the stone away.' Martha, the dead man's
sister, said to him, 'Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day since
he died.' Jesus replied, 'Have I not told you that if you believe you will see
the glory of God?' So they took the stone away. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes
and said: Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer. I myself knew that you
hear me always, but I speak for the sake of all these who are standing around
me, so that they may believe it was you who sent me. When he had said this, he
cried in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out, his feet and
hands bound with strips of material, and a cloth over his face. Jesus said to them,
'Unbind him, let him go free.' Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and
had seen what he did, believed in him.
A Moment of Prayerful Silence
so that the Word of God may enter into us and
enlighten our life.
Some Questions
to help us in our personal reflection.
•
What drew your attention most in this very
detailed account? Why?
•
Which is the central and most important point of
the whole narrative? Why?
•
What was the attitude of the disciples? What did
they say and do?
•
What was the attitude of Martha and Mary? What
did they say and do?
•
What was the attitude of the Jews? What did they
say, do and plan?
•
With whom can you identify yourself most: the
disciples, the sisters, the Jews, or none of these?
•
Have you ever experienced times when despair and
hope, life and death got confused in your thought? In times such as these, what
kept up your faith?
•
How does Lazarus rise to life today? How does
resurrection take place today, giving new life to the poor?
A Key to the Reading
for those who wish to go deeper into the text.
The difference between the Gospel
of John and that of the other three Evangelists.
•
A comparison in order to understand the
difference. Photo and X-Ray. You are in wonder at the beauty of nature before a
sunrise. You see and contemplate what your eyes look at. This is the photo!
Next to you, a friend says to you, "Have you noticed how that small cloud
changed into a deeper colour? Our friendship is like this!" She saw more
than that which the eyes were looking at. This is the X-Ray. Love for and faith
in one another have expanded her vision. The Gospel of John is like this; it is
the Gospel of the beloved disciple. He teaches us how to read the other Gospels
and to discover in them a deeper dimension. The other three Gospels take photos
of the miracles. John takes an X-Ray and reveals his deep sense of the divine,
that which only faith can see by the working of the Spirit (John 14,26; 16,19).
For instance, the synoptics mention twenty-eight different
miracles. John only mentions seven and he calls them "signs." Of the
seven, only three are found in the synoptics. The other four are exclusive to
John: the marriage feast in Cana (Jn 2,1-11), the healing of the paralytic at
the pool of Siloe (Jn 5,1-9), the healing of the man born blind (Jn 9,1-7) and
the resurrection of Lazarus (Jn 11,1-44). In the way he presents these
"signs", John does much more than simply telling the miracle. He
expands the facts so that they manifest Jesus as the revelation of the Father.
John’s Gospel tries to throw light on Jesus’ saying, "To have seen me is
to have seen the Father" (Jn 14,9). When we hold up to the light the X-Ray
of Jesus in John’s Gospel, we see the face of the Father.
•
Lazarus’ resurrection in the scheme of John’s Gospel
The scheme of the seven signs:
•
1st Sign: the marriage feast of Cana (Jn
2,1-12)
•
2nd Sign: the healing of the nobleman’s
son (Jn 4,46-54)
•
3rd Sign: the healing of the paralytic (Jn
5,1-18)
•
4th Sign: the multiplication of the bread
(Jn 6,1-15)
•
5th Sign: Jesus walks on the water (Jn
6,16-21)
•
6th Sign: the healing of the blind man (Jn
9,1-40)
•
7th Sign: the raising of Lazarus (Jn
11,1-44)
•
The great sign is the HOUR of Jesus’
glorification.
•
The seven signs are seven prefigurations of the
glorification of Jesus, which will take place at the Hour of his passion, death
and resurrection. Each sign symbolises one aspect of the meaning of the
passion, death and
resurrection of Jesus for us. It is in
"meditating day and night"
through the Lectio Divina or Prayerful Reading that we shall discover this
meaning, which will enrich our lives.
•
The resurrection of Lazarus, the seventh sign,
opens the way for the coming of the Hour, the glorification, which takes place
through death (Jn 12,23; 17,1). One of the reasons why Jesus is condemned will
be the resurrection of Lazarus (Jn 11,50; 12,10). Thus, the seventh sign will
be in order to manifest the glory of God (Jn 11,4): "This sickness will
end not in death but in God’s glory and through it the Son of God will be
glorified." The disciples cannot understand this (Jn 11,6-8). But even
though they do not understand, they are ready to go and die with Jesus (Jn
11,16). Their understanding is slight, but their faith is right.
•
The meaning of Lazarus’ resurrection
•
In Bethany: Everything happens in Bethany, a
small village at the foot of the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem. In the story,
Lazarus’ family, where Jesus liked to go, is the mirror of the community of the
Beloved Disciple at the end of the first century. Mirror also of our
communities. Bethany means "House of the Poor." Martha means
"Lady" (coordinator); a lady who coordinates the community. Lazarus
means "God helps" the poor community, which hoped for everything from
God. Mary means "beloved of Yahweh", the image of the community. The
story of the resurrection of Lazarus wants to communicate this certainty: Jesus
brings life to the community of the poor; he is the source of life for those who
believe in him.
•
Between life and death: Lazarus is dead. Many
Jews are at Martha and Mary’s house to comfort them for the loss of their
brother. Those who represent the Old Testament do not bring new life. They just
console. Jesus is the one who brings new life! In John’s Gospel, the Jews are
also the enemies who wish to kill Jesus (Jn 10,31). So we have on one side the
threat of death against Jesus, and on the other Jesus who comes to conquer
death! It is in this context of conflict between life and death that the seventh
sign of the resurrection of Lazarus, of victory over death, takes place.
•
Two ways of believing in the resurrection: The
central point is the contrast between the old way of believing in the
resurrection at the end of times, and the new brought by Jesus, which until now
conquers death. Martha, the Pharisees and the majority of the people believed
in the resurrection (Acts 23,6-10, Mk 12,18). They believed, but did not reveal
it, because their faith was only in the resurrection at the end of times and
not in the present resurrection of the story, here and now. That resurrection
did not renew life. A link was missing. The new life of the resurrection comes
with Jesus.
•
Profession of faith in Jesus and profession of
faith in life: Jesus challenges Martha to take that step. It is not enough to
believe in the resurrection at the end of times, we must believe that
Resurrection is already here today in the person of Jesus and in those who
believe in him. Death no longer holds power over these, because Jesus is the
"resurrection and the life." And, Martha, even though she has not yet
seen the concrete sign of the resurrection of Lazarus, professes her faith:
"Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who
was to come into this world."
•
Human, very human, equal to us in all things:
After her profession of faith, Martha calls Mary, her sister. Mary goes to meet
Jesus, who was still where Martha had met him. She repeats Martha’s expression:
"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died" (Jn
11,21). Mary weeps, everyone weeps. Jesus is moved. When the poor weep, Jesus
is moved and weeps. When they see Jesus weeping, the others say, "See how
much he loved him!" This is the characteristic of the community of the
Beloved Disciple: love between Jesus and the members of the community. Some do
not believe and still doubt: "He opened the eyes of the blind, could he
not have prevented this man’s death?" For the third time, Jesus is moved
(Jn 11,33.35.38). Thus, John stresses Jesus’ humanity against those who, at the
end of the first century, spiritualized the faith and denied the humanity of
Jesus.
•
For us, there only remains to remove the stone
so that God may give life back to us: Jesus orders the stone to be removed.
Martha reacts: "Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day!"
Once more, Jesus challenges her recalling her faith in the resurrection, here
and now, as a sign of God’s glory: "Have I not told you that if you
believe you will see the glory of God?" They removed the stone. Before the
open tomb and before the incredulity of those standing there, Jesus turns to
the Father. First, he thanks the Father, "Father, I thank you for hearing
my prayer. I knew indeed that you always hear me." The Father of Jesus is
the same God who always hears the cry of the poor (Es 2,24; 3,7). Jesus knows
the Father and trusts him. But now he asks for a sign for the sake of those who
stand there, so that they may believe that he, Jesus, was sent by the Father.
Then, he shouts aloud, "Lazarus, here. Come out!" And Lazarus comes
out. This is the victory of life over death, of faith over unbelief! A farmer
in the interior of Brazil commented, "It is up to us to remove the stone!
And so God resurrects the community. There are those who do not want to remove
the stone, and so in their community there is no life!"
Psalm 16 (15)
God is our birthright forever
Protect me, O
God, in you is my refuge. To Yahweh I say, 'You are my Lord, my happiness is in
none of the sacred spirits of the earth.' They only take advantage of all who
love them.
People flock to
their teeming idols. Never shall I pour libations to them! Never take their
names on my lips. My birthright, my cup is Yahweh; you, you alone, hold my lot
secure.
The measuring-line marks out for me
a delightful place, my birthright is all I could wish.
I bless Yahweh who is my counsellor,
even at night my heart instructs me. I keep Yahweh before me always, for with
him at my right hand, nothing can shake me. So my heart rejoices, my soul
delights, my body too will rest secure, for you will not abandon me to Sheol,
you cannot allow your faithful servant to see the abyss. You will teach me the
path of life, unbounded joy in your presence, at your right-hand delight
forever.
Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank for the word
that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your
Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice that which
your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to
but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity
of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
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