The 5th Sunday of Lent invites us to reflect on baptism, death and resurrection. Through baptism, we live for Christ in the community of the Church. The Holy Spirit guides us daily. Thus, we are people of hope and face our death confident of our resurrection, foreshadowed in the death and resurrection of Lazarus. (Gospel).
St Paul writing to the Romans (2nd reading) speaks of the role of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes to us with the Father and Son and stays with us through life. While St Paul mentions those people opposed to God, most of the reading is about the Holy Spirit encouraging and helping us to live “since the Spirit of God has made his home in you”. No matter how faint our faith may be, with the Holy Spirit with us, we will be living the life of love of God and each other.
Ezekiel (1st reading), speaking while the Jewish people are exiled in Babylon, offers them hope, assuring them of God’s continuing love. Using the powerful metaphor of their death (as in their exile in Babylon) and God’s raising them to life (as in resettling them in their own country), through the power of God’s spirit, their exile will end, and they will go home. The exile in Babylon lasted for 70 years.
The Gospel today from John gives one of the most striking “signs” that Jesus is sent by God. Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus and the brother of Martha and Mary, has died. The family lived in Bethany near Jerusalem. His sisters sent a message to Jesus, who had gone away for safety, telling him of their brother’s illness. Jesus waited for two days before going to Bethany. The apostles, fearful for Jesus's safety, opposed him. When they saw that Jesus was going, Thomas, the realist, spoke for all, “Let us go too and die with him”.
As Jesus got close to her house, Martha went to meet Jesus. Mary and sympathisers from Jerusalem later joined her. Separately, the sisters told Jesus of their disappointment that he hadn’t come sooner, because then Lazarus would have lived. Some of the sympathisers joined in the complaint. Martha’s criticism led to Jesus making his most significant statement in public life: “I am the resurrection. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies, he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” Then Jesus asks Martha, and us too “Do you believe this?” We, too, with Martha, respond in faith, “Yes Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God…” It is likely that critical sympathisers reported the miracle to the Pharisees in Jerusalem, and this led to the plot to arrest Jesus.
At the tomb, Jesus, weeping, prayed to the Father for those who were there that they, after seeing Jesus raise Lazarus to life, would see the “glory of God” and believe that Jesus was sent by the Father. Today’s Gospel states that many of the people who had come to visit Martha and Mary believed after that.
Holy Week is on the horizon. Then we will follow Jesus day by day as we see Him being faithful to His Father’s call. We will be conscious of our sinfulness and seeking mercy and forgiveness, but recognising the glory of God in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Reg Howard lives at St Columban's, Essendon.
