DAILY- HOMILY

April 6, 2014
Fifth Sunday of Lent 

Ez 37:12-14 / Ps 130: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 / Rom 8:8-11, Jn 11:1-45 or 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45

First Reading: Ez 37: 12-14   
"So prophesy! Say to them: This is what Yahweh says: I am going to open your tombs, I shall bring you out of your tombs, my people, and lead you back to the land of Israel. You will know that I am Yahweh, O my people! when I open your graves and bring you out of your graves, when I put my spirit in you and you live. I shall settle you in your land and you will know that I, Yahweh, have done what I said I would do."

Second Reading: Rom 8: 8-11  
So, those walking according to the flesh cannot please God. Yet your existence is not in the flesh, but in the spirit, because the Spirit of God is within you. If you did not have the Spirit of Christ, you would not belong to him.  But Christ is within you; though the body is branded by death as a consequence of sin, the spirit is life and holiness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is within you, He who raised Jesus Christ from among the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies. Yes, he will do it through his Spirit who dwells within you.

Gospel: Jn 11: 3-11, 17, 20-27, 33b-45     
So the sisters sent this message to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." On hearing this Jesus said, "This illness will not end in death; rather it is for God's glory and the Son of God will be glorified through it."  It is a fact that Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus; yet, after he heard of the illness of Lazarus, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Only then did he say to his disciples, "Let us go into Judea again." They replied, "Master, recently the Jews wanted to stone you. Are you going there again?" Jesus said to them, "Are not twelve working hours needed to complete a day? Those who walk in the daytime shall not stumble, for they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, for there is no light in them." After that Jesus said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going to wake him."  When Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him while Mary remained sitting in the house. And she said to Jesus, "If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said, "Your brother will rise again." Martha replied, "I know that he will rise in the resurrection, at the last day." But Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection; whoever believes in me, though he die, shall live. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" Martha then answered, "Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world." When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews also who had come with her, he was moved in the depths of his spirit and troubled. Then he asked, "Where have you laid him?" They answered, "Lord, come and see." And Jesus wept. The Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "If he could open the eyes of the blind man, could he not have kept this man from dying?" Jesus was deeply moved again and drew near to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across it. Jesus ordered, "Take the stone away." Martha said to him, "Lord, by now he will smell, for this is the fourth day." Jesus replied, "Have I not told you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" So they removed the stone. Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you for you have heard me. I knew that you hear me always; but my prayer was for the sake of these people, that they may believe that you sent me." When Jesus had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips and his face wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, "Untie him and let him go." Many of the Jews who had come with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw what he did.

Reflection:
     Jesus told his disciples if they wanted to follow him they would have to give up many things in this life.  He told them that the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests but the Son of God has no place to lay his head. He depended on the generosity of the people - people like Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Jesus was very close to them, so when Lazarus was very ill, Mary sent word to Jesus. But Jesus deliberately delayed coming to Bethany because he indicated the illness was not to end in death but for the glory of God. Going to Bethany posed another problem since earlier the Jews tried to stone him to death, however, no argument could convince Jesus from going to see his friend Lazarus.
     The gospel tells that when Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus was already dead for four days. He has brought back to life the daughter of Jairus and the son of the widow at Nain, but to bring back to life someone who has been dead four days is something else. Only God can do that.  Jesus tells Martha: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, even if he dies will live. And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.  Do you believe this?"
     Jesus asks us the same question today. Do we believe that the resurrection can mend all brokenness and strengthen our faith in our lives?  Today is a good day to examine ourselves and figure out what we can do to make our faith alive and begin to make a difference in the world.  When Lazarus was laid in the tomb he was trapped, bound and unable to move. The resurrection of Jesus freed him from that awful enclosure. What are the possible areas that still restrict us from following Christ? Could it be our addiction to food, to gambling, chemical substances or something else? It is the spirit of God that transforms the world and changes the hearts and minds of people.
     The compassion of Jesus knows no bounds. He knew the anguish and pain of Mary and Martha losing their brother Lazarus. He took time off from his busy schedule to see them and show them his love. We are all asked to do the same with our brothers and sisters. We are to show compassion and love always, but especially in stressful times such as the loss of a loved one.
     As you know it is always a struggle to keep the faith alive in the midst of a broken world. We need the continuing reminder of the power of resurrection of Jesus that can heal and transform the world. He alone can give the peace that endures forever. When we come to receive Jesus in the Eucharist we receive him with joyful hearts and proclaim to the whole world the Good News that he is alive and well.

Prayer Requests:
We pray ...
... for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn
... for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary
... for families who are in need of healing
... for world peace and reconciliation
... for personal intentions - Fr. Teofilo Rustia

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

**************************************************
These reflections are distributed free and are for personal use only. Feel free to send the Daily Prayer reflections to your friends, colleagues and relatives; however, if you do, please include the following:

   +================================================+
   |  The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the
   |  priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish
   |            http://www.marythequeen.org
   |  Distributed free and for personal use only. 
  +================================================+