March 29, 2020 Fifth Sunday of Lent
2020년 3월 29일 사순 제5주일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
에제키엘 예언서. 37,12ㄷ-14
하느님께서 이렇게 말씀하신다.
12 “나 이제 너희 무덤을 열겠다.
그리고 내 백성아, 너희를 그 무덤에서 끌어내어
이스라엘 땅으로 데려가겠다.
13 내 백성아, 내가 이렇게 너희 무덤을 열고, 그 무덤에서 너희를 끌어 올리면,
그제야 너희는 내가 주님임을 알게 될 것이다.
14 내가 너희 안에 내 영을 넣어 주어 너희를 살린 다음,
너희 땅으로 데려다 놓겠다.
그제야 너희는, 나 주님은 말하고 그대로 실천한다는 사실을 알게 될 것이다.
주님의 말이다.”
제2독서
로마서 8,8-11
형제 여러분, 8 육 안에 있는 자들은 하느님 마음에 들 수 없습니다.
9 그러나 하느님의 영이 여러분 안에 사시기만 하면,
여러분은 육 안에 있지 않고 성령 안에 있게 됩니다.
누구든지 그리스도의 영을 모시고 있지 않으면,
그는 그리스도께 속한 사람이 아닙니다.
10 그러나 그리스도께서 여러분 안에 계시면,
몸은 비록 죄 때문에 죽은 것이 되지만,
의로움 때문에 성령께서 여러분의 생명이 되어 주십니다.
11 예수님을 죽은 이들 가운데에서 일으키신 분의 영께서 여러분 안에 사시면,
그리스도를 죽은 이들 가운데에서 일으키신 분께서
여러분 안에 사시는 당신의 영을 통하여
여러분의 죽을 몸도 다시 살리실 것입니다.
복음
요한. 11,1-45<또는 11,3-7.17.20-27.33ㄴ-45>
그때에 1 어떤 이가 병을 앓고 있었는데,
그는 마리아와 그 언니 마르타가 사는 베타니아 마을의 라자로였다.
2 마리아는 주님께 향유를 붓고
자기 머리카락으로 그분의 발을 닦아 드린 여자인데,
그의 오빠 라자로가 병을 앓고 있었던 것이다.
3 그리하여 그 자매가 예수님께 사람을 보내어,
“주님, 주님께서 사랑하시는 이가 병을 앓고 있습니다.” 하고 말하였다.
4 예수님께서 그 말을 듣고 이르셨다.
“그 병은 죽을병이 아니라 오히려 하느님의 영광을 위한 것이다.
그 병으로 말미암아 하느님의 아들이 영광스럽게 될 것이다.”
5 예수님께서는 마르타와 그 여동생과 라자로를 사랑하셨다.
6 그러나 라자로가 병을 앓고 있다는 말을 들으시고도,
계시던 곳에 이틀을 더 머무르셨다.
7 예수님께서는 그런 뒤에야 제자들에게, “다시 유다로 가자.” 하고 말씀하셨다.
8 제자들이 예수님께,
“스승님, 바로 얼마 전에 유다인들이 스승님께 돌을 던지려고 하였는데,
다시 그리로 가시렵니까?” 하자,
9 예수님께서 대답하셨다. “낮은 열두 시간이나 되지 않느냐?
사람이 낮에 걸어 다니면 이 세상의 빛을 보므로 어디에 걸려 넘어지지 않는다.
10 그러나 밤에 걸어 다니면 그 사람 안에 빛이 없으므로 걸려 넘어진다.”
11 이렇게 말씀하신 다음에 이어서, “우리의 친구 라자로가 잠들었다.
내가 가서 그를 깨우겠다.” 하고 그들에게 말씀하셨다.
12 그러자 제자들이 예수님께,
“주님, 그가 잠들었다면 곧 일어나겠지요.” 하였다.
13 예수님께서는 라자로가 죽었다고 하셨는데,
제자들은 그냥 잠을 잔다고 말씀하시는 것으로 생각하였다.
14 그제야 예수님께서 그들에게 분명히 이르셨다. “라자로는 죽었다.
15 내가 거기에 없었으므로 너희가 믿게 될 터이니,
나는 너희 때문에 기쁘다. 이제 라자로에게 가자.”
16 그러자 ‘쌍둥이’라고 불리는 토마스가 동료 제자들에게,
“우리도 스승님과 함께 죽으러 갑시다.” 하고 말하였다.
17 예수님께서 가서 보시니, 라자로가 무덤에 묻힌 지 벌써 나흘이나 지나 있었다.
18 베타니아는 예루살렘에서 열다섯 스타디온쯤 되는 가까운 곳이어서,
19 많은 유다인이 마르타와 마리아를 그 오빠 일 때문에 위로하러 와 있었다.
20 마르타는 예수님께서 오신다는 말을 듣고 그분을 맞으러 나가고,
마리아는 그냥 집에 앉아 있었다.
21 마르타가 예수님께 말하였다.
“주님, 주님께서 여기에 계셨더라면 제 오빠가 죽지 않았을 것입니다.
22 그러나 하느님께서는 주님께서 청하시는 것은
무엇이나 들어주신다는 것을 저는 지금도 알고 있습니다.”
23 예수님께서 마르타에게, “네 오빠는 다시 살아날 것이다.” 하시니,
24 마르타가 “마지막 날 부활 때에
오빠도 다시 살아나리라는 것을 알고 있습니다.” 하였다.
25 그러자 예수님께서 그에게 이르셨다.
“나는 부활이요 생명이다. 나를 믿는 사람은 죽더라도 살고,
26 또 살아서 나를 믿는 모든 사람은 영원히 죽지 않을 것이다. 너는 이것을 믿느냐?”
27 마르타가 대답하였다.
“예, 주님! 저는 주님께서 이 세상에 오시기로 되어 있는 메시아시며
하느님의 아드님이심을 믿습니다.”
28 이렇게 말하고 나서 마르타는 돌아가 자기 동생 마리아를 불러,
“스승님께서 오셨는데 너를 부르신다.” 하고 가만히 말하였다.
29 마리아는 이 말을 듣고 얼른 일어나 예수님께 갔다.
30 예수님께서는 마을로 들어가지 않으시고,
마르타가 당신을 맞으러 나왔던 곳에 그냥 계셨다.
31 마리아와 함께 집에 있으면서 그를 위로하던 유다인들은,
마리아가 급히 일어나 나가는 것을 보고 그를 따라갔다.
무덤에 가서 울려는 줄 알았던 것이다.
32 마리아는 예수님께서 계신 곳으로 가서 그분을 뵙고 그 발 앞에 엎드려,
“주님, 주님께서 여기에 계셨더라면
제 오빠가 죽지 않았을 것입니다.” 하고 말하였다.
33 마리아도 울고 또 그와 함께 온 유다인들도 우는 것을 보신 예수님께서는
마음이 북받치고 산란해지셨다.
34 예수님께서 “그를 어디에 묻었느냐?” 하고 물으시니,
그들이 “주님, 와서 보십시오.” 하고 대답하였다.
35 예수님께서는 눈물을 흘리셨다. 36 그러자 유다인들이
“보시오, 저분이 라자로를 얼마나 사랑하셨는지!” 하고 말하였다.
37 그러나 그들 가운데 몇몇은, “눈먼 사람의 눈을 뜨게 해 주신 저분이
이 사람을 죽지 않게 해 주실 수는 없었는가?” 하였다.
38 예수님께서는 다시 속이 북받치시어 무덤으로 가셨다.
무덤은 동굴인데 그 입구에 돌이 놓여 있었다.
39 예수님께서 “돌을 치워라.” 하시니, 죽은 사람의 누이 마르타가
“주님, 죽은 지 나흘이나 되어 벌써 냄새가 납니다.” 하였다.
40 예수님께서 마르타에게 말씀하셨다.
“네가 믿으면 하느님의 영광을 보리라고 내가 말하지 않았느냐?”
41 그러자 사람들이 돌을 치웠다. 예수님께서는 하늘을 우러러보시며 말씀하셨다.
“아버지, 제 말씀을 들어 주셨으니 아버지께 감사드립니다.
42 아버지께서 언제나 제 말씀을 들어 주신다는 것을 저는 알고 있습니다.
그러나 이렇게 말씀드린 것은,
여기 둘러선 군중이 아버지께서 저를 보내셨다는 것을 믿게 하려는 것입니다.”
43 예수님께서는 이렇게 말씀하시고 나서 큰 소리로 외치셨다.
“라자로야, 이리 나와라.”
44 그러자 죽었던 이가 손과 발은 천으로 감기고
얼굴은 수건으로 감싸인 채 나왔다.
예수님께서 사람들에게, “그를 풀어 주어 걸어가게 하여라.” 하고 말씀하셨다.
45 마리아에게 갔다가 예수님께서 하신 일을 본 유다인들 가운데에서 많은 사람이
예수님을 믿게 되었다.
March 29, 2020
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
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.
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 2
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.
Gospel
Jn 11:1-45 or 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45
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.”
hen 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.
http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow
«I am the resurrection»
Fr. Johannes VILAR
(Köln, Germany)
Today, the Church presents us with a great miracle: Jesus resurrects a defunct that had been dead for several days.
Lazarus' resurrection is a “prognostication” of that of Christ, which we are soon going to commemorate. Jesus tells Martha that He is the «resurrection» and life (cf. Jn 11:25). He asks all of us: «Do you believe this?» (Jn 11:26). Do we believe that God has given us a new life through the Baptism? St. Paul says that we are a new creation (cf. 2Cor 5:17). This resurrection is the foundation of our hope, which is not based upon an uncertain, future and false utopia, but upon a fact: «The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!» (Lk 24:34).
Jesus says to them: «Untie him and let him go» (Jn 11:44). Redemption has liberated us from the chains of sin that we were all suffering from. Pope Leo the Great said: «Mistakes were defeated, authority mastered and the world gained a new start. Because if we share in his sufferings we will also share in his glory (cf. Rom 8:17). This gain is not only prepared for those smashed in the name of the Lord, by those godless. Because all those who serve God and live in Him are crucified in Christ, and in Christ they will receive the crown».
We, Christians, are called to live in our earth this new supernatural life that allows us to get credit for our luck: Always ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks us for a reason for our hope! (cf. 1Pet 3:15). It is logical that these days we try to follow Jesus Master closely. Traditions as the Via Crucis, the meditation of the mysteries of Rosary, the texts of the Gospels, all this... may and must be a great help for us.
Our hope is also deposited in Mary, Jesus Christ's Mother and also our Mother, who, in turn, is an icon of hope: at the foot of the Cross she awaited against all hope and was associated with the deeds of her Son.
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
The other morning I put on my jacket to take my dog out for his morning walk. This ritual has been a regular, saving grace in these early days of “social distancing” and isolation while we continue working together as a global family to curb the spread of COVID-19. In Omaha that day there was mist gently falling out of a gray-washed sky. The ground was freshly wet from a heavy overnight rain. Looking down at my boots as I pondered the heavy cloud this pandemic has brought upon our world, creation gave me a gift of hope...earthworms. Spread across the glistening street were clews of worms slowly slithering along, brought up from their dark, subterranean winter resting places.
The recurring narrative of our time has been one of death. The headlines stream daily updates of statistics on infection counts and numbers of those who have succumbed to the illness. Tragic realities have been reported from every corner of the planet. These certainly feel like Lenten days. If I do not stay close to Jesus, I can easily find myself getting overwhelmed by it all and burying myself in a tomb of fear.
In today’s Gospel, the tomb is right where God meets us. Like many of our brothers and sisters across the world right now, Jesus received news that his good friend Lazarus had fallen ill. By the time he is able to make the journey to pay him a visit he has died. Upon arriving in Bethany, Jesus is met separately by Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha who both have the same words for him: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” In our current reality of this pandemic, we might be saying the same thing to God. Our sadness and our anger is real. The Psalmist puts words to how we might be feeling: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.” (PS 130:1)
God’s response to our cry is provided today by the prophet Ezekial: “I will open your graves and have you rise from them.” (EZ 37:12) Jesus steps forward to the tomb of his friend with three powerful commands:
“Take away the stone.”
“Lazarus, come out!”
“Untie him and let him go.”
Jesus calls us out of dark, death-dealing tombs and into the healing, holy light of his love. It might be hard to hear the voice of Jesus in these fearful times over the voices of dark spirits that tempt us to panic and isolate and keep the tomb’s stone right where it is. In a recent interview, Pope Francis provides a simple way to step into the light:
“We must rediscover the concreteness of little things, small gestures of attention we can offer those close to us, our family, our friends...We must understand that in small things lies our treasure. These gestures of tenderness, affection, compassion are minimal and tend to be lost in the anonymity of everyday life, but they are nonetheless decisive, important.”
Like the earthworms stretching their bodies into springtime, my hope is that we can come up and out of these dark, cold, hard graves of fear through “small gestures” that keep us connected to each other amidst our social distance. As others have offered to date, the words of CS Lewis written in his essay “On Living in an Atomic Age” in 1948 seem to apply to us today in 2020:
“This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.”
Let what dominates our minds and hearts be the firm commitment God has made to us: “I will put my spirit in you that you may live...I have promised, and I will do it.” (EZ 37:14)
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
RESURRECTIONS | ||
| "I am the Resurrection and the Life: whoever believes in Me, though he should die, will come to life; and whoever is alive and believes in Me will never die." �John 11:25-26 | ||
How strong is your faith that the Holy Spirit will raise your body from the dead on the last day? (Rm 8:11) Do you believe your spirit will be raised at your death to meet the Lord? Do you believe Jesus still raises people from the dead, as He raised Lazarus from the dead? (Jn 11:44; Mt 10:8) Do you believe Jesus' Resurrection can transform your life now? Jesus' Resurrection is a promise of the resurrection of the bodies and spirits of all His disciples. Jesus continues to raise Lazaruses as proofs of His Resurrection and previews of ours. Jesus' past Resurrection and our future resurrection should overshadow our present circumstances. Risen life begins when we believe in the risen Lord, not when we die. All the resurrections go together. The Resurrection is past, present, and future. The Resurrection is physical and spiritual. The Resurrection is historical, personal, and eschatological. We are a Resurrection people, or more precisely a resurrections-people. In these next two weeks, prepare to celebrate the Resurrection with a faith and joy that is unexplainable except for those who have met the risen Christ. | ||
| Prayer: Father, increase my faith in Your risen Son so that I become a new person. | ||
| Promise: "I will open your graves and have you rise from them." —Ez 37:12 | ||
| Praise: Praise the risen Jesus, Who "is the Reflection of the Father's glory, the exact Representation of the Father's being" (see Heb 1:3). |
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
"I am the resurrection and the life"
If a true "friend loves at all times" (Proverbs 17:17), why did Jesus delay in coming to Lazarus' home when he knew that his friend was gravely ill? Jesus certainly loved Lazarus and his two sisters and he often stayed in their home at Bethany. But to the surprise of his friends and disciples, Jesus did not go right away to Bethany when he was called. Jesus explained that Lazarus' sickness would bring glory to God. The glory which Jesus had in mind, however, was connected with suffering and the cross. He saw the cross as his supreme glory and the way to glory in the kingdom of God. For Jesus there was no other way to glory except through the cross.
Jesus also knew that it was dangerous for him to travel anywhere near Jerusalem at this time, since the religious authorities in Jerusalem were plotting his destruction. Jesus, however, was willing to pay the price to help his friend. For Jesus to come to Jerusalem at Passover time was an act of courage. The explanation which Jesus gave to his disciples was simple and challenging at the same time. "Are there not twelve hours in the day?" In so many words he said: "There are enough hours in the day to do what one must do." A day can neither be rushed nor extended. Its period is fixed.
Courage to act in the light of God's truth
In God's economy we each have our "day" whether it be short or long. While time is limited, there is enough for us to accomplish what God intends. God gives each of us our allotted portion in life. We can either waste it or use it to the utmost for God's glory. Jesus did not let circumstances or pressure dictate what he would do. Nor did he permit others to dictate his actions or timetable. He took action of his own initiative and in his good time. Don't we often try to get God to do things in our way and on our timetable?
Both the Romans and the Jews divided the day into twelve equal hours from sunrise to sunset. The day's work and travel, however, ceased when the daylight was gone. If someone wanted to get their day's work done, he had to do it before it got dark. Jesus made a spiritual analogy with our relationship with God. While the light of Christ is with us, we must live and walk in the truth and grace of his light. There's a right time to make peace with God, and that time is now. When darkness comes, then judgment follows for those who refuse God and spurn his love.
When Jesus announced that Lazarus was dead and that he was going to Jerusalem, Thomas showed both his courage and pessimism. "Let us go, that we may die with him." This courage, however, was not tempered with faith and hope in God's promise to bring victory out of defeat. Even though Thomas was a witness to Lazarus' resurrection, he betrayed his master when arrest and death stared him in the face. He doubted his master's resurrection until Jesus showed him the wounds of his passion. God gives us faith, courage, and the strength we need to persevere through any trial and suffering we must face in this life. If we embrace our cross with faith and trust in God, then we, too, will see victory and glory in the end.
The hope of our resurrection
What is the significance of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead? It is more than a miraculous event. It is a "sign" of God's promise to raise up all who have died in Christ to everlasting life. That is why Jesus asked Martha if she believed in the resurrection from the dead. The Christian creed, which is the profession of our faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and in the saving power of God, culminates in the proclamation of the resurrection of the dead on the last day and in life everlasting. This is our faith and our hope.
"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you" (Romans 8:11).
God gives us the power of his Holy Spirit that we may be made alive in Christ. Even now we can experience the power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus in our personal lives. The Holy Spirit is ever ready to change and transform us into men and women of faith, hope, and love. Do you believe that the power of Jesus' resurrection is at work in your life today? Let the Holy Spirit strengthen within you the life and joy of God and the hope of heaven.
God is my help
The name Lazarus means "God is my help". Jesus' parable about the poor man Lazarus, who died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom (Luke 16:19-31), ends with a warning: "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead." Through Lazarus' sickness and subsequent death, God brought glory through his Son the Lord Jesus, who raised his friend from the dead in anticipation of his own death and resurrection. Our participation in the Lord's Supper in the Eucharist already gives us a foretaste of Jesus' transfiguration of our bodies.
Irenaeus, a second century church father states:
"Just as bread that comes from the earth, after God's blessing has been invoked upon it, is no longer ordinary bread, but Eucharist, formed of two things, the one earthly and the other heavenly: so too our bodies, which partake of the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible, but possess the hope of resurrection"(Adv. Haeres. 4,18).
Psalm 27 ends with the great prayer of hope in the resurrection:
"I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord!"
Do you find joy and hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
"Lord Jesus Christ, you have ransomed us with your blood and restored us to life with the Father in heaven. May your resurrection be our hope as we long for the day when we will see you face to face in glory."
Psalm 130:1-8
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
2 Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with you, that you may be feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the LORD more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plenteous redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Daily Quote for Lent: Cross and Resurrection, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Jesus' cross is an example of painful toil. His resurrection is the reward of painful toil. In the cross He showed us how we are to bear suffering. In His resurrection He showed us what we are to hope for." (excerpt from On the Creed 3,9)
http://www.homilies.net/
5 Lent
Fifth Sunday of Lent - Cycle A - John 11:1-45
A patient asked Dr Karl Menninger what he should do if he felt a nervous breakdown coming on. He expected the famous psychiatrist to respond, "Call me immediately." Instead, he said, "Go out and find somebody in trouble and help that person."
I go to many funerals. It goes with the job. Often a dead man's friend gives a eulogy. Invariably he says, "We come here not to mourn a death but celebrate a life." I say to myself, "Buddy, if you're not mourning, you're in the wrong church." Jesus shed copious tears at Lazarus' tomb. He wasn't celebrating his life. one wag said, "Christ cried so loudly He woke Lazarus up."
This Gospel reveals much about the generosity of Lazarus and his sisters toward Jesus. He overnighted with them often. He felt their home was His house. "Nuestra casa tu casa." There He could chill out. They would summon Him to a lasagne and chianti supper after a nap. They would spend the evening playing Scrabble. Next day He would leave refreshed.
It could be said of this family what Wordsworth's friend said of him after his death, "Thou had for weary feet the gift of rest." We would do well to copy their style. In the Bethany family's case, the guest was the Christ. We shall have to be satisfied with a surrogate Christ. "Be not loath to entertain strangers," wrote Paul, "for thereby some have entertained Christ unawares."
Also, when Jesus received the sisters' messenger asking Him to return to Bethany, there was a price on His head. It would be unhealthy for Him to return behind enemy lines. Yet, He rolled up His sleeping bag and moved out of the mountain's safety.
Lazarus was in trouble. He would go to his side no matter the consequences to His person. He believed Woody Allen's dictum that showing up is two-thirds of life. This beau geste says much about the character of Christ. It tells us that we can expect the same consideration from Him also. It suggests He would have us help others in trouble. A sorrow shared, said Shakespeare, is a sorrow halved. You know now whose game plan Dr Menninger was following.
The Lazarus story informs us that the Savior hated death. His weeping is evidence of that. Jesus reveals to us that God is upset when nasty things happen to people whether saints or sinners.
Jesus is the God of life and not of death. He came to do battle with death and vanquish it. Ezekiel today tells us this welcome message from God. "I will open your graves and have you rise..."
If we comprehend the Lord with another mind-frame, then we are stuck with a faux Jesus. The genuine Christ longs for the hour when death will go belly up for each of us.
Check what Jesus says to Martha. "I am the resurrection and the life." The Galilean emphasizes He is the God of the living. Why do we keep saying over corpses lying in our middle aisles, "Eternal rest grant unto you." Is it not more correct to take our cue from this Gospel and say, "Eternal life grant unto you."? Jesus never said, "I am the resurrection and the rest."
If we think of Heaven as a place to collect bedsores, why not dress the dead in cheap pajamas from Wal-Mart rather than in expensive traveling clothes? Obviously Jesus thinks of Heaven as a place where we go to party hearty and look our best. To make Heaven otherwise is to make it dullsville. No wonder even the best of us are loath to quit this present existence. Who wants to go to a dull party that goes on for eternity?
Martha replies to Christ that she knows her brother will rise down the road. Jesus replies sharply, "I am the resurrection and the life." So, if Jesus becomes the mainstay of our lives, we can experience resurrection in the now and here. Who really wants to wait for a resurrection years away?
We say what Jesus did for Lazarus was super. Was it? In Heaven, every tear is wiped away and all pain removed. Why would Lazarus want to leave paradise and return to earth with all its problems? Furthermore, he would have to die again. once is enough. I wager an angry Lazarus said to Jesus as he came out of the tomb, "With friends like you, who needs enemies?"
Jacqueline Kennedy, who unhappily for her was an authority on death, said, "The Catholic Church is at its best at the time of death. Its message is that death is not the putting out of light. It is rather turning off the lamp because the dawn has come."
Frjoeshomilies.net
5 Lent
Fifth Sunday of Lent: Come Out of the Tomb
The gripping drama of the rising of Lazarus points towards Jesus as the Lord of Life and prepares us for the celebration of our sharing in His Life at Easter.
However, this gospel is more than this. It is a call for to consider if we are in a tomb. This gospel asks us to hear the voice of the Lord calling us to shore up our courage and to come out of our tombs. We are called to come into the Light. We are called to come to the Life. The gospel calls us to walk to the Lord.
We often put ourselves in tombs. There are times that we feel very dead, particularly dead to the Lord. When we are in this spiritual malaise, we do not want to reflect on our lives. We play a game with the Lord and ultimately with our eternal existence. The game is this: If we do not think about what we have done or are doing to ourselves, then we can attempt to overlook our situation. only, we cannot really do that, can we? We can fool others into thinking that we are happy, but we cannot fool ourselves.
So, we get involved in things that are negative, nasty, and sinful. We tell others that we are happy with this life. We try to convince ourselves that we are happy with our lives. But we have a difficult time looking into the mirror. We have an even more difficult time walking into a church. And we have a horrible time taking God inside of us, or simply sitting before Him in the Blessed Sacrament.
We try to blame others. We make believe that they have put us into the tomb. For example, others have said, "You don't know what you are missing. Drink this. Take that. Do this. Do that. You will be happy. Loosen up! You are the only one at the party who is not drinking. Everybody is taking X now, why do you think you are so different? Of course we have sex; you're the only one I know who doesn't." And with a group around us, with our defenses down perhaps due to various difficulties in our lives we say, "No big deal. I should try this. I should do that. Everybody else is." Then, the next day, if not sooner, we feel rotten, dirty, even dead. We can blame others for putting us into the tomb, but ultimately, we did it to ourselves. We chose sin and suffer from it.
There are also times that we race into a tomb completely on our own, without the temptation of others. We convince ourselves that this or that is not going to hurt us so much. And we go places where a Christian does not belong, be those places in the world or within our own rooms, or we do things to ourselves that frustrate ourselves, and then we feel dead.
"Come out, Lazarus!"
Jesus is calling us. We are all Lazaruses. He is calling us to come out of the darkness, and come into His Light. He is calling us to come out of the place of death and come into His Life. In his second book on Jesus, Pope Benedict XVI points out that the early Christians referred to themselves as The Living. That is what we are called to be, alive in an otherwise dead world.
Out of the tomb, into the light, out of the tomb, into His Life we experience indescribable joy. We are one with Jesus. We are at peace. We no longer view others as threats to our happiness. No, others become a road to happiness as we serve the presence of God within them. Out of the tomb, away from our sins, we see others as unique reflections of God, as people who can bring us to a deeper understanding of God's love.
So, we ask ourselves today, "Am I happy with myself? Am I comfortable with my life? Am I happy with my relationship with God?" Those questions are just different ways of asking the same thing: "Am I alive, or am I dead?" Or, perhaps, "Is there something that is killing me?" Maybe, our relationship with others is pretty bad, and we tend to get nasty rather easily. Maybe we have friends that we try it impress by flaunting our sexuality, by joining them in drinking and drugs. We do our best to ignore the dying we feel within us, but the dying does not go away because we want it to go away. The way of death only goes away when we choose to walk away from it.
We ask ourselves today, "Where have I found joy? When has it been in my life that I have been truly happy? This leads us to focus on the times that our union with Jesus was so intense, so strong, that all we wanted to do was just relax in His Love.
Lazarus, come out!
We ask God today for the courage to walk away from that which is killing us and to walk towards the voice that is saying, "Leave this place of the dead and live in My Light, in My Love, in My Joy.
From John 3:17
God sent His Son into the world not to condemn the world but so that through Him the world may be saved; so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him.
Stmaryvalleybloom.org
* Available in Spanish - see Spanish Homilies
5 Lent
The Third Scrutiny
(March 29, 2020)
I offer this homily (and take off my hat) to any brothers who are celebrating Mass or live streaming during this crisis
Bottom line: True life, eternal life is nothing more and nothing less than a personal relation to Jesus.
Today Jesus confronts a terrible reality - death, the death of a friend named Lazarus.
Before considering how Jesus addresses death, I'd like to say a word about how ancient people viewed death. The Greeks saw us as having a place between the gods and the animals. Unlike the gods who are immortal, we must die. The animals die as we do, but they seem unaware of their coming death. We humans, however, live with an awareness of death - our own and those we love.
The prophet Isaiah says death is "the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations." (25:7)
Do we fear death? I don't sense that most people do. I think C.S. Lewis got it right. He used this quote: "I am not so much afraid of death as ashamed of it."* We feel a repugnance for death. We can see that shame or repugnance in our response to the coronavirus. The people of our country and most nations are making extraordinary sacrifices to prevent the death of others - mainly old people like myself.**
The repugnance for death has caused people to adopt an "abundance of caution". Otherwise, we are told, a person could be responsible for someone else's sickness and death.
Jesus himself felt strong emotions in the face of death. When he stood before the grave of his friend, Lazarus, he wept. When his own horrific death approached, he begged the Father to take that chalice from him.
Jesus fought against death by curing people who suffered grievous illness. The Gospels also record three instances of Jesus bringing the dead back to life. He did it as a sign of greater things to come.
First and foremost, Jesus wants to rescue us from spiritual death. Bishop Barron writes that each us "to a degree, is spiritually dead. Maybe you're like Lazarus - four days in your tomb. Maybe you feel there is just no hope for the likes of you."
Bishop Barron continues: "I don't care how far you've fallen. I don't care how dead you are. The voice of Jesus can pull you out of the tomb."
The bishop becomes specific: "Maybe you're sunk in an addiction. Maybe you've done things that you are so ashamed of that you can't even bring yourself to speak of them. Maybe you've fallen out of a relationship with the people you love the most."
There's more: "Maybe you've been a first-class jerk. Maybe you just feel you're a failure. Maybe you're terrified of dying. I don't care. Listen for the voice! 'Untie him and let him go.'"
Yes, Jesus wants to rescue us from spiritual death. But he wants something more. What finally matters is your relation to him. As he tells Martha:
"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."
Let's sum up: We all recoil from death, but there's something incalculably worse: spiritual death. Jesus tells us that true life, eternal life, is nothing more and nothing less than a personal relation to him - a relation we live in prayer and the sacraments. With that in mind I extend to you the third scrutiny.
"Lord Jesus,
by raising Lazarus from the dead
you showed that you came that we might have life
and have it more abundantly.
Free from the grasp of death
those who await your life-giving sacraments
and deliver them from the spirit of corruption.
Through your Spirit, who gives life,
fill them with faith, hope, and charity,
that they may live with you always
in the glory of your resurrection,
for you are Lord for ever and ever." Amen.
**********
*Here's the full quote: "I am not so much afraid of death, as ashamed thereof. 'Tis the very disgrace and ignominy of our natures, that in a moment can so disfigure us, that our nearest friends, wife, and children, stand afraid and start at us." Sir Thomas Browne
**Even though young people are much less vulnerable if they contract the virus, I am grateful so many have changed their lifestyles in response to the pandemic. What concerns me is how many people, economically vulnerable - like single moms - have lost their jobs.
Alexmcallister.co.uk
5 Lent
It seems a bit strange that the Church presents us with this gospel reading today on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, it seems to be clearly about the resurrection and yet we haven't got there yet, we are still plodding through Lent and have to get through Maundy Thursday and Good Friday before we get to the resurrection. What's going on; have the Church's liturgical engineers got it all wrong?
Can I suggest that this text is more about death than resurrection? After all, Lazarus isn't walking around today; he had to undergo another death. This text is more about our life and death here and now rather than about the resurrection. We will have time enough to consider the resurrection when we get to Easter Sunday and the weeks of celebration afterwards.
St Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, in his book on the Spiritual Exercises suggests that when we come to consider a particular Gospel passage we should put ourselves in the place of each character in turn and use our imagination to see how we would feel in the circumstances. This can be a most revealing exercise.
How about putting yourself in the place of Lazarus? You are dead to everything and then you hear a voice: 'Come out, Lazarus!' You look around and there you are lying in a tomb swathed in bandages and surrounded by darkness.
If we ask ourselves how we would feel the answer, of course, would be different for everyone but I think we might be surprised at how many of us would say: 'Thanks Lord, but I'd prefer to stay where I am.'
By putting ourselves in Lazarus's place we might feel we are unable to move or perhaps we might become aware of how tomb-like our present way of life really is. This exercise might arouse in us a sense of hope; rekindle a longing for freedom which has perhaps been buried for years.
Putting ourselves into the place of a character from scripture can awake all kinds of thoughts within us and lead us to turn to God in prayer with new words on our lips. And yet it is something so simple that we are surprised that we never thought about it ourselves.
I think that this Gospel reading is placed here in Lent to help us to realise that we have to live this life to the full and that it is often only through experiencing death that we are shocked into it. This can happen to us in all sorts of ways; often it can happen through a loss or bereavement, it might be through a religious experience, or a meeting with someone significant. It may be a terrible mistake that we have made or an experience of suffering. It is amazing how often it takes something negative to make us realise how much there is that is truly positive and worth living for.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the great writer and great Christian, was implicated in a plot to assassinate the Tsar of Russia. He was not one of the plotters but he was on the fringes of a group that wanted to overthrow the established order. The plot was uncovered and he was arrested and tried, found guilty and sentenced to death. He put in an appeal even though the chances of getting a reprieve were non-existent.
In the meantime, he was sent to a prison camp in Siberia where he experienced some of the harshest conditions known to man. His appeal was turned down and he was given a date for execution. The day came round and he was put up against the wall to be shot. But at the very last moment a messenger arrived with word from St Petersburg, his sentence was commuted to four years penal servitude.
Dostoyevsky experienced a resurrection. He was a dead man; the book he wrote about his prison life is called 'The House of the Dead', and the title literally sums up his experiences. He was dead; he regarded himself dead, because just waiting for death like that can be considered even worse than being dead. And then he was alive. And although he had to endure very harsh conditions he was alive, and he saw everything in a new way. He was able to live life to the full.
Dostoyevsky experienced life because he experienced death and this is what made him a truly great writer. A writer who has been able to get inside our souls and in his writing has explored some of our deepest feelings and emotions.
This Gospel is not here on this particular Sunday to get us to focus on the resurrection of the body and life everlasting; that comes on Easter Day. This Gospel is here to get us to wake up from our sleep and to realise that we have some living to do. We are supposed to be Christians. We are supposed to be followers of Jesus, the best man who ever lived, the only man who ever fully lived. The only man who really understood how to live.
And if we dare to accept the title Christian then we had better take a few lessons in living. We had better stop moaning and groaning and looking over our shoulder at others and saying: 'Would you look at her, who does she think she is?'
Stop putting a wet blanket over everything and live a bit. God has given us this wonderful creation and all these wonderful people around us, so let us open our eyes and talk to our neighbours and enjoy ourselves. We see the signs of spring all around us, and yet it is we who should be the signs of spring to our neighbours and friends and workmates all through the year.
But, of course, this is very hard for us. We have had years of training not to get above ourselves, not to think well of ourselves, not to enjoy ourselves. And the Church itself, with its penchant for rules and regulations, has played its full part in this process. Most of us have long experience of being pressed down and having our individuality and creativity squashed out of us.
I can give you countless examples of people who have experienced a resurrection in their lives. one of our own previous Provincial Superiors was a dead man. He had a very tricky heart operation which took ten hours. Afterwards he saw things very differently.
I know a man in one of my previous parishes who lost his wife and one of his own legs in a car accident. He had four young children. But he was determined to do his best for them. He told me: 'I painted that skirting board lying on my belly.' He brought those children up and was so proud of them it was unbelievable. He walked two miles each week to cheer up someone else who had lost a leg and was in the depths of depression.
There are dozens of examples. And we have a few in the Gospel today, apart from Lazarus himself. Look at Martha and Mary; they both blamed Jesus for letting Lazarus die. Sounds incredible doesn't it? And yet it is there in the text. But when they hear Jesus speak their faith is restored.
But as we say Sunday after Sunday: We don't experience Christ in a vacuum. We don't find him when things are bowling along as usual and we are keeping our head down. We meet him in suffering, we meet him in encounters with others, we meet him in challenging situations, we meet him when we are vulnerable, we meet him basically when our defences are down and we are open and receptive.
And he shows us the way. And the way is to be like him. And that means getting close to people, it means living for others, it means healing the sick, it means carrying other peoples burdens, it means loving the poor, it means being close to the Father in prayer, it means dying to self so we can rise to new life in him.
I heard about a sign outside a funeral parlour in Brooklyn it said: Why walk around half dead when we can bury you for seventy-five bucks? The question we need to ask is: Why walk around half dead when we have new life in Christ?
More Homilies
