Theme

Fifth Sunday of Lent *09^thMarch 2008*
Theme :	*Come Alive in Jesus!*
1st. Reading:	Ezekiel 37: 12-14
2nd Reading:	Romans 8: 8-11
Gospel :	John 11: 1- 45

Dear Friend,

Have you ever felt down and out, completely drained out, lifeless and despairing sometimes? Then suddenly something happened, someone came into your life, said something or did something and your whole world was turned around and you felt alive again? We mostly live in a culture of death and we experience dying by degrees. Today the Scriptures remind us that our God is a God of life. Everyday He calls us out of our tombs: “Come forth! Come alive in Jesus!” Have a ‘fully-alive’ weekend!

Fr. Jude Botelho

This short first reading is the conclusion of the vision received by the prophet Ezekiel. In the historical context Ezekiel was speaking to the people of Israel who were in exile. They had lost all hope of return and they believed that God had abandoned them and that all was lost. They were discouraged and as good as dead. They felt that there was no significant destiny for them in spite of Yahweh’s promises. Ezekiel now receives a promise that Yahweh will rescue them and save them and bring them back to life and restore re-establish them back in Jerusalem as his chosen people. Though they were like dead bones lying in their graves, Yahweh would bring them back to life. This scene is the forerunner of the promise of the resurrection of all those who believe in God.

Let him live on in you….
Kent Evans did not know ‘Dawn’, a woman attempting to cope with the death of her loving husband. Nevertheless he wrote to console her when he learnt of her grief, “Let Ralph live on in your heart,” he said. “Everyone who knew him will know his presence in you.” Kent Evans was writing from a prison in Richmond, Va., where he was serving a life sentence. We too can let God live in our hearts.
Frank Michalic in ‘Tonic for the Soul’s

In the second reading from his letter to the Romans Paul describes some of the situations that Christians find themselves confronted with in their living of the Christian life. They are sanctified by the Spirit of Christ yet they still possess their sinful nature. There is a constant tussle in following Jesus or in following our sinful inclinations. If we are filled with the Spirit of Jesus then we must not let unspiritual things preoccupy us. The same spirit, which raised Jesus from the dead, will give life to our mortal bodies if we believe and let His spirit take over our lives.

Gift of Life
One-and-a-half-year old Pal from Mumbai was the darling of her doting parents. This made the decision all the more hard to make. The child had an accident on May 22nd 2001. She was playing in the verandah at home along with some other children when she lost her balance and fell from a platform. Her parents rushed her to Hinduja Hospital. There she was diagnosed as having suffered a brain haemorrhage. By the afternoon of the same day Pal was declared as brain stern dead. Knowing that the child would not live, the parents agreed to donate her kidneys and eyes to the hospital, says the consulting nephrologist, Dr. Bharat Shah. After the tissue samples were crossed matched, 45-year old Bhadora Kumar Shah who had been waiting for over a year for a matching kidney, was donated the little girl’s kidneys. Sunila, Pal’s grandmother, hopes that her family’s gesture will inspire other families to do likewise. Pal’s father, Chaitanya Jain, says, “Pal was our only child and was quite playful. Everybody doted on her and we could not imagine life without her. Since her kidneys have been transplanted, Pal now lives through someone else.” The grandmother Sunila Shah hopes that the hospital will inform them when Pal’s eyes are transplanted so that it would make them happy once again.
The New Indian Express, May 31, 2001

In today’s Gospel Jesus works one of the greatest miracles by bringing the dead Lazarus back to life. But he also wishes to point out that He is the Resurrection and the life of all mankind. While all are promised the resurrection from the dead, it is those who believe in Him, will experience the power of the resurrection. The story of the raising of Lazarus is full of drama and has valuable insights from which we can learn much. It begins by informing us that Lazarus lived in Bethany and was the brother of Martha and Mary, who were friends of Jesus, a household frequented by Jesus. Lazarus is sick and the sister’s inform Jesus about his condition, expecting Jesus to come immediately to the aid of his friends. Despite his love, Jesus delays and stays back for two days before setting out for Bethany. He does everything in His time. Jesus sees things differently from us. His response is: “This sickness will not end in death but in God’s glory.” Sometimes we wonder why God does not speedily answer our prayer. Could it be that God is looking beyond our present anxieties to what is for God’s greater glory and the best for us? When he does arrive at Bethany Martha says to Jesus, “If you had been here my brother would not have died.” Jesus challenges her faith: “Do you believe that I am the resurrection and the life?” Martha affirms her faith in Jesus: “I know that even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.” He then speaks those consoling words: “Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” Mary’s initial reaction on seeing Jesus was the same as her sister’s: “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus simply transcends the question and says, “Your brother will rise.” At the same time, Jesus was deeply affected by the pain of Martha and Mary and wept tears at the loss over a loved one. Jesus weeping at the tomb of Lazarus reminds us that even if we have faith in God, it is normal and natural for us to feel pain and loss. Sharing the pain of one another not only strengthens bonds of relationship but brings about healing. Like legions of devoted followers down through the centuries, Jesus weeps in the face of death.

Most Athletes Cried

One of the most touching moments of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles came by surprise. It happened one night on prime-time television, after Jeff Blatnik of the United States defeated Thomas Johansson of Sweden for the gold medal in Graeco-Roman wrestling. When the match ended, Blatnik didn’t jump up and down. He didn’t throw his arms into the air. He didn’t make sweeping bows to the crowds. He simply dropped to his knees, crossed himself, bowed his head, and prayed. When the cameras zoomed in on his face, millions of viewers saw the torrent of tears pouring down Blatnik’s cheeks. Blatnik had every right to cry. But it wasn’t because he had taken the gold medal in an event the United States had never won before. There was a bigger reason. Two years before, Jeff Blatnik had contracted cancer. Eighteen months before the games, he had undergone surgery. And now, in the face of great odds, he had won the second biggest battle of his life. The next day all the major newspapers carried Blatnik’s story. Referring to Blatnik’s tears, sportswriter Bill Lyons wrote: “One of the most worthwhile things about the Olympics is that they remind us of the cleansing, therapeutic value of a good cry…. “You watch the gold medallists mount the victory platform, turn to face their flags and listen to their national anthems, and in almost every instance their eyes begin to mist….The sleek, the strong, the swift, they all succumb. And in doing so, in showing their humanity, they become even more appealing.” And that’s what happened in Blatnik’s case. Jeff Blatnik became an instant hero, not because of his victory over Johansson, nor because of his victory over cancer, but because he shared his humanity with us. Suddenly the 220-pound giant was like us in a beautiful, touching way. We see the same kind of touching beauty in Jesus in today’s gospel. We see Jesus the Son of God, cry at the tomb of Lazarus. It is one of the most moving scenes of the gospels. And the reason it is moving is because Jesus shares his humanity with us. It is important to remember this gospel scene because we know that Jesus understands what it’s like to be human. And just knowing this gives us hope. It is also important to note that the gospel not only shows Jesus weeping for Lazarus, but it also shows him raising Lazarus from the dead. This same Jesus can raise us to new life.

Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’

But Jesus not only shares the pain of Lazarus’s death but he moves beyond and brings Lazarus out of the grave. But before doing so he prays aloud thanking the Father for listening to his prayer and for bringing Lazarus back to life. Then with faith and authority he says: “Lazarus come forth!” and the dead man came back to life. This same Jesus is challenging our faith and asking us to come out of our tombs and out of the culture of death that surrounds us. We will come forth from whatever is keeping us shackled and entombed in the measure that we believe in Him.

“This Gospel provides a wealth of reflection as Holy Week approaches. Jesus offers “eternal life’, which begins with faith now and lasts forever. “Eternal life” in John is not primarily unending life but “authentic life”, or life in its fullness. Both Martha and Mary are models of people coming to a deep faith even in the face of doubt. “As Sandra Schneiders says eloquently in her study of John 11, (Written That You Might Believe) “Eternal life conquers death without abolishing it,” and “we are asked not to weep, but only not to despair, for the one in whom we believe is our resurrection, because he is our life.” -John Donahue

Empty Tomb

The interviewer asked Joseph of Arimathea, “Now the grave you lent is yours again. What are you planning to do with it?” Joseph took a long look at him and confided, “When I heard that He has risen, naturally I raced to the tomb. He was not there. He had given my tomb back to me. So what I did after that was: I placed a comfortable bench under the trees just opposite the opening of the tomb. In the evening, as the sun is going down, I go and sit there and think to myself, Jesus of Nazareth has slept in this tomb and God raised Him from death. Joseph of Arimathea will also lie in this tomb, and what will God do with him?” Jesus had said, ‘I live and you shall live’, I can depend on that word.” - Hans-Georg Kuhkoll

May God’s spirit bring new life to our weary lives!

Fr. Jude Botelho
judebotelho@niscort.com

P.S. :The stories, incidents and anecdotes used in the reflections have been collected over the years from books as well as from sources over the net and from e-mails received. Every effort is made to acknowledge authors whenever possible. If you send in stories or illustrations I would be grateful if you could quote the source as well so that they can be acknowledged if used in these reflections. I would be happy if you could link this website to your own parish/diocesan/institutional website. If you wish to receive these reflections by e-mail, or send them to a friend, do send in the e-mail address to <jude@netforlife.plus.com>

Other Sunday Homily Websites

www.opsouth.org

www.meynen.homily-service.net

Daily Reflections

Creighton Daily Reflections

Immaculate Heart Retreat Center

Gospel Commentary from Ireland

Daily Scripture Readings

www.usccb.org/nab/today.htm

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