Sunday Gospel Comment
Alberic Jacovone OSB
YEAR A FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT - 13.3.05 Ezek 37,12-14; Rom 8,8-11; Jn 11,1-45 The Lord is here & wants to see you Lazarus
(El(oim)azar), means ‘God helps’.
This year - Year of the Eucharist - we should read Lazarus’ story,
experiencing our life in direct relationship with Jesus, ever present in the
Eucharist. Indeed, the Church suggests that at times, we are like that dead man:
we may be sick, dying or dead: -physically, morally (=in mortal sin) or
emotionally-, & to us then our Lord yells: Lazarus come out! John’s Gospel
places today’s story at the end of Jesus’ public ministry, & just before
his horrendous Passion, to which it directly leads. It’s the last &
greatest of Jesus’ ‘signs’, which aims at proving that Jesus is “Christ,
Lord & Messiah - Son of God - resurrection & life”. The Church
proclaims, reminds & urges us to realize that Jesus is not someone sunk in
history, inspiring us from 2000 years ago. He is now present among us, as our
crucified & risen Lord. Here & now, He has power over our sickness &
death, (both physical & spiritual death, which is any ‘mortal’ sin).
Lazarus (it means: ‘God helps us’) is the symbol of the power, authority,
significance & willingness that Jesus has to help us all. For us now, he is
our resurrection & life - he lives with us. The ‘Gospel truth’ for today
is this: not only for Lazarus then, but also for us here & now, death is
real - tragic - an enormous loss. At it Jesus himself broke down & burst
into tears. And yet: death -physical & spiritual- is not & need not be
ultimate. Human death serves has a divine purpose. It is overcome through the
power & sufferings of Jesus on the cross. In the life of Lazarus (=‘God
helps us’!) it was a ‘resuscitation’, in the sense that Lazarus
came back to this life, lived a few more years & finally died . I
am the resurrection. The
life that even now Jesus offers is a true ‘resurrection’, it lasts
forever: ‘he who believes, will never die’. Through his horrendous
sufferings on the cross, He poured out his life for us, so we may have a new
& abundant life, here & now, & hereafter. To show that this is
clearly the intent of John’s Gospel, scripture scholars point out that he
(John) carefully distinguished between the resuscitation of Lazarus &
Jesus’resurrection: Lazarus came out of the tomb still unwrapped, & Jesus
said: ‘unwrap him, let him go free’. But, when Jesus rose from the tomb, he
left his ‘wrappings’ behind. Today, let us spend quality time in prayer:
let’s call to mind the people we love, that may be ill, dying or dead. Let’s
bring to surface hurt, despair or desolation. As our eyes fill with bitter,
unrestrained tears, let’s offer the prayer of this year’s Lenten Programme: ‘Jesus, when you raised your friend
Lazarus, you said to Martha: I am resurrection & life. Do you believe this?
And right now you ask me: Do you believe this? I too answer: Yes, I
believe: you are God & man - you have a place for us - you are awaiting us
in heaven. Jesus, when we receive you in the Eucharist, we live in you - you in
us - you will raise us up on the last day. Help us to live in your love, die in
your love, be with you for eternity. Jesus, after you spoke to Martha, she
called her sister Mary, saying: ‘the Master is here He wants to see you’.
Lord how well these words apply to us all right now! You are here, present in
our soul & in Tabernacle. You want to see us - want us to think of you, to
talk, listen & pray to you, but
so often we am too busy, have too much to do. Lord, help us to listen to you: in
our soul, heart & prayer - to draw close to you - to visit you & become
your friend. Jesus, at Lazarus’ death, you burst into tears, really loved us
in our hurts, & want to raise everyone from the dead, especially those who
die to you through sin. Grant us faith to pray for the spiritual resurrection of
those in our family who may need it. ______________________________________ |
