5th Sunday of Lent, Year A

Ez 37 : 12-14: I will put my spirit , and live

The worst misfortune of a displaced person is to die away from the familiar landscape, land and native soil. It hurts more when loved ones die on foreign soil, having to bury them among strangers. Yahweh speaks through the voice of the prophet Ezekiel comforting the suffering exiled Jews. He reassures the exiled in Babylon that He has called them to a whole new existence. 

The Spirit of the Lord will rebuild their reality, will stand up, walk with them in their dreams and projects and will give them peace and greatness only because he loves them dearly. Because of that love, Yahweh will call them out of their graves and give them a new life. 

It is a "resurrection" that moves away from exile. It is hope come true with the return to their homeland. This is a timely message for many of our people today to put our hope in the Lord and walk from suffering to joy. The message is a gift that encourages and strengthens us.

Rom 8: 8-11: The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you

Paul's letter to the Romans, is considered his spiritual testament. Today’s reading relates to the 1st reading: As Christ disciples, we have the same Spirit that the Lord promised since the days of exile. We don´t belong to the "flesh" sin, selfishness, or unbridled greed; we belong to the Spirit, We live the true life of love, forgiveness and service. Christ gave us his full Spirit, without measure. And if the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead He will also raise us to be partakers of the full life of God, day by day, every day.

Jn 11: 1-45 : I am the resurrection and the life

The gospel presented in the raising of Lazarus ("God helps"), is the last of the seven "signs" worked by Jesus, to show "the glory of God." With his life and works, Jesus reveals His Father to us. His faith is a trusting one, as shown in the prayer addressed to the Father: 

"I thank you, Father, that you have heard me. 

I know that you always hear me". 

He knows that the Father stands by him and He won't disappoint Him. He expressed His confidence even before performing this sign. According to John, before facing death, Jesus reveals himself as the Lord of life, declares publicly that he is the resurrection and the life, faith in Him will give life to all those who believe in Him will, they won´t die forever.

The faith of the disciples, goes through a process of growth. John shows it in the dialogues between the twelve, Mary, Martha and Jesus. By His word and His own faith in the Father, Jesus is driving them from an imperfect faith to a more solid and strong faith. 

The faith of Martha and Mary is more limited, they recognize it and regret it, but Jesus leads them from their limitation to a greater faith. Marta knows his brother will rise again at the end of time, but Jesus shatters all her beliefs by revealing to her that His power it is real, present and acting through him: "I am the resurrection and the life." 

This active and real experience is revealed to all who believe in him, "He who believes in me will live even if he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die." Jesus helps Marta to take the big leap of faith when he asks: "Do you believe this?".

In replying, "Yes, Lord: I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." John puts on her lips another great confession of faith, highlighting her greater faith. Raising Lazarus, Jesus reveals that "the gift of God" goes beyond any human calculations. It acts even when there seems to be no hope ("Lord, it is smelly, and has been dead four days"). This great "sign" of Jesus pours the last drop that breaks the patience of the enemies of Jesus, and because of that miracle they decide to kill Jesus. This sign anticipates and completes the final and ultimate sign that is the resurrection of Jesus.

For us, "to live is to die". Each day we live is a day that we die, one day less to live, and another day of our lives ending. Confessing our faith in Jesus we become his disciples; and to all disciples who believe in Him, will happen what happened to Lazarus, now and here; we will find life again and again, without waiting until the end of times to rise. Christian faith is a way of life and hope where from Baptism, the Holy Spirit identifies us with Christ who has brought us out of our graves for us to live now as risen, despite not knowing or not being able to express that well what  we believe in.

Prayer

God, universal Father and Mother, 

You always inspire in human beings 

the desire for full happiness that triumphs even over death 

and becomes "eternal". 

We humbly implore you to help us 

to be consistent with this inner strength that dwells in us. 

Work with us to bring happiness to all

by the most honest means and a way most beneficial 

to us and to those around us. 

In union with all men and women of all religions. 

We ask this through Jesus, your son and our brother. Amen.

Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year A

Reading 1 Ez 37: 12-14

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: 130: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8: R/ With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Yahweh; Yahweh, 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 Yahweh, mark iniquities, Yahweh, who can stand? 

But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered.

With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

I trust in Yahweh; my soul trusts in his word. 

More than sentinels wait for the dawn, let Israel wait for Yahweh.

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 Rom 8: 8-11

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: 3-7, 20-27, 33b-45

The sisters of Lazarus sent word to Jesus, saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” When 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.”

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

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, “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.”

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.

Second Sunday of Lent, Year A

First Reading: Genesis 12: 1-4a "God promises Abram a great blessing".
Around the year 1800 B.C. Groups of semi-nomadic shepherds who sought pasture for their flocks away from the city- states organized themselves in Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean coast. Abraham and Sarah were part of these migrant groups, "seeking life" in other lands. While in their pilgrimage and struggle to live, they hear the call of the Yahweh "the God who is" asking them to leave everything and trust in His promise of life. This God promises Abraham that he is going to be the father of a people as numerous as the sands and that he will possess the land, the "promised land". Their hearts wanted that and also needed that to live in a dignified and peaceful way.

Abraham and Sarah walked the path that led them to the encounter with Yahweh. Today, the "Abrahamic minorities", weak, marginalized, displaced and expelled from their lands and the economic system, are those millions of people displaced by wars and political problems that walk towards the God of Life. They continue to hear God's call to look for new forms of a "promised life", to live happily as universal sons and daughters of God. They are the new Abrahams and Sarahs, who leave everything to look for a better and dignified life that are denied to them in their homelands.

In the Biblical narration, the Jewish people are those who speak of themselves. They attributed to the "will of the God Most High" for being "His chosen people" with the divine rights to invade, kill, marginalize and drive other peoples out of their land. They attributed to Abraham the title of "biological" father "father in faith" of Israel, and of the three religions that came out of Israel´s faith: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Jews of today want to justify their actions on a story made out from their perspective and to their convenience.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1: 8b-10 "Through God's grace we are called to holiness".
In his second letter to Timothy, St. Paul assures us that the Word of God is not chained; it is dynamic and makes its own way among the many ways of cultures. Although many have tried to manipulate it to their convenience and particular interests, the Spirit of the Risen Lord always finds a way to throw it to fly beyond the control of the manipulators; putting it at the fingertips of the displaced and marginalized seeking better living situations in dignity and justice, as Abraham and Sarah did. Those Abrahamic minorities or majorities displaced, reject this exclusionary and aimless system. With their lifestyle, customs, art and culture, they seek direction and guidance in the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 17:1-9 

"Jesus is transfigured on the mountain in the presence of Peter, James, and John".
The transfiguration narrated in the Gospels is a powerful symbol. Those who wrote Matthew, tell the story with lots of freedom, enriching an oral tradition retold and reworked in its transmission. Today, we can also interpret it in a purely symbolic way. This transfiguration of Jesus symbolically updated one of those many "transfiguration experiences" that we all experience nowadays.

Sometimes, daily life becomes gray, dull, drab and tired. It can discourage us and leave us without the strength to keep walking. And suddenly, unexpectedly, we encounter those "special moments" where a light goes on in our heart, and that lighted heart opens our eyes and allows us to see much further, deeper and beyond of what we were looking until now. Although the reality is the same, it appears transfigured, with another shape. Life shows its inner dimension, the one we used to believe in but with the tiredness and routine of our walking we had forgotten. Those mystical and real experiences help us to renew our energies; excite us again to continue traveling up the hard life without these visions, but “seeing and feeling him, The invisible”, walking by our side.

Like the disciples of Jesus needed then, today we all need those transfiguring experiences. Although we cannot meet Jesus personally on Mount Tabor in Galilee, we can meet Him in our own Tabor. This encounter in the Tabor of today happens in our silence, in listening to the Word, in reflection, meditation, contemplation and prayer. These are the sources where we get the strength, which will help us to be really happy. Those are the transfigured ways where we can renew our baptismal commitment. Of those, with no doubt, Prayer is the most important source.


Let us Pray
God Father, Mother, Eternal Wisdom, Infinite Vision, Total Intuition:
Give us profundity in our look, power in our heart,
light in the eyes of our soul.

Helps us to be able to transfigure reality and contemplate your glory now,
in our terrestrial pilgrimage:
We as this through Jesus, your son and our brother. Amen.