FIFTH SUNDAY OF
LENT
22 MARCH 2015
When the Prophet Ezekiel spoke to his people, they
had been in exile in Babylon for over three decades. They had given up any hope of returning
home. They had taken the lowly jobs
which migrants, immigrants, and strangers would accept. They began to intermarry. There was no home. Jerusalem was in ruins. The Temple had been destroyed. They were
permanently buried in the grave of exile.
But, Ezekiel speaks for the Lord and promises that they will be raised
up and will return home. The Lord could
raise up his people from this grave of exile, something no human could ever do.
When Jesus arrives in Bethany, he
confronts a similar situation. His friend, Lazarus, has been dead for four
days. Most Rabbis would argue that the
spirit of a person might hover over a body for three days. By this time, there is no hope! Even the sisters of Lazarus, who are also
good friends, chide him: “Lord, if you
had been here, our brother would not have died.” Jesus even weeps at the tomb of his friend,
troubled deep within his gut over the horrible power of death and what death
does to people. After praying a prayer
of thanksgiving, Jesus confronts the hopeless situation and orders Lazarus to
come out of the tomb. He tells them to unbind
Lazarus and gives him back to his sisters.
Only the Lord can raise up a dead person. No ordinary human could do that.
For centuries, this set of readings
has been used in connection with the third and final Scrutiny for the Elect,
those preparing for Baptism at the Easter Vigil. At the 8:45 and 10:30 Masses, we pray over
the four who are preparing for the Easter Sacraments. We pray that they may let go of whatever
might still bind them to the tomb of sin and prepare them to enter into the
watery tomb of baptismal water. At the
Easter Vigil, we will pray a prayer of thanksgiving over the water and ask the
Father to raise up the newly baptized from the waters of Baptism to share with
Christ his transforming resurrection.
In less than two weeks, we will
celebrate the Sacred Paschal Triduum. These
final days of Lent can help us to intensify our preparation for these
Mysteries. As the Elect prepare to enter
the watery tomb of Baptism, we have to admit that we have not always kept our
baptismal promises. To borrow the words
of Saint Paul, we were given the indwelling of God’s Spirit when we emerged
from the waters of our Baptism. In not
keeping our Baptismal promises, we have lost our trust in the promise made that
we will live with him if we die with him.
We have to be honest enough to admit that we have slipped back into the
flesh, into giving into our sinful passions and returning to the death filled
tombs of our selfishness.
With the Sacred Paschal Triduum in
sight, we can renew our Lenten prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as a way of
disciplining ourselves to the more difficult task of dying daily to self, of
keeping our baptismal promises. Please
take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation as an integral part of that
preparation process. Confessing our sins
and receiving Sacramental Absolution returns us to the innocence of the day of
our Baptism. Please come to the Lenten
Penance Service on Tuesday evening, when sixteen priests will be present. Father Peter Jarret already knows that his
homily has to be very short and to the point.
There is strength in numbers! We
are not alone in seeking the Lord’s mercy and sharing in his risen life. Nor are we alone when we renew our Baptismal
promises at Easter with a clear conscience.
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