FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
2 APRIL 2017
Saint
Paul makes a distinction between those who are in the flesh and those who are
in the spirit. Those who are in the
flesh have not turned toward Christ. Those
who are in the spirit are enlivened by the indwelling presence or “spirit” of
the risen Christ. If we understand Paul
correctly, he is not telling us that our bodies are bad. He is saying that belief in Jesus Christ
reveals that there is much more to life than what we can perceive with our
senses. Living in the flesh brings
death. Living in the spirit brings life.
For over a
year now, the Elect have been turning toward Christ. Participating in the Rite of Christian
Initiation, some are children, others teens, and others adults. As Catechumens, they have joined us for the
Liturgy of the Word at Mass. We have
dismissed them to enter more deeply into the Mystery of God’s Word. We have taught them the Mysteries of the
faith. We have prayed with them, shared
with them, and welcomed them into our community. Today at the 10:00 Mass, we prayed the third
and final Scrutiny over them. We prayed
that they be freed of whatever might be dead in them, anything keeping them
from turning more fully to Jesus Christ.
The priest laid hands on them as a gesture of support as they move to
the Easter Vigil and emerge from the waters of baptism with all their sins
forgiven.
As we
celebrate the third Scrutiny with them, today’s Scriptures challenge us to
examine the quality of our own faith.
When we were baptized, the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the
dead dwelled in us. We began living in
the spirit. This Season of Lent has been
calling us to evaluate the quality of that life in the spirit. When we accepted ashes on our foreheads on
Ash Wednesday, we admitted that we have sometimes slipped back into living in
the flesh. We were called to repent, to
turn more fully to Jesus Christ, who dwells in our midst.
We are
constantly being tempted to live in the flesh.
When we live in the flesh, we turn inwardly toward ourselves and our own
needs and ignore the needs of everyone else.
The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead gives us insight into
our current spiritual state. We might be
like Martha and Mary, who begin to trust that Jesus will eventually work things
out. We might be like Thomas, loyal to
Jesus Christ and proclaiming faith in him, without having any idea what that
means. Or we might even be like Lazarus,
so immersed in our own self-interests that we are in fact dead to the reality
of Jesus Christ in our lives.
When we find
ourselves living in the flesh, we can do nothing on our own to emerge from the
tombs we have created for ourselves. Only
Jesus Christ can call us out of being absorbed with ourselves and live again in
his light. The Sacrament of
Reconciliation is an excellent tool for allowing Jesus to do just that. Come and check out our new Reconciliation
Rooms and allow Jesus Christ to call us from darkness into light. There will be plenty of opportunities during
Holy Week and into the Sacred Paschal Triduum.
Jesus does
not tell Martha and Mary that he will be the resurrection and the life some
distant day in the future. He says that
he IS the resurrection and the life.
Like Lazarus, all of us must die. The strongest faith in the world will not save
us from physical death. But Jesus hates
death. He hates the death of his friend
Lazarus, he hates the terrifying prospect of his own death, and he hates our
death. That is why he invites us to live
in the spirit, to embrace our role as faithful disciples. Living in the spirit not only gives us a
share in Christ and his life now. Living
in the spirit involves sharing in an abundant life forever.
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