Today, this Fifth Sunday of Lent (Cycle A), we hear the Prophet Ezekiel speak for the Lord saying: “I will open your graves and have you rise from them…” St. Paul reminds us that we are promised resurrection; and the Gospel of John today tells the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead: bringing him out of the grave and loosening the bindings around him. Most of us probably grew up thinking that the Resurrection was a one-time miracle about Jesus, proving He was God (true), but I have always also believed that life’s natural pattern by God was “life, death and resurrection” in all things. Jesus reveals to us what is happening everywhere and always in God. Summed up in Jesus is the map, the blueprint, the promise, the pledge, the plan, the covenant and the guarantee: “Life is changed, not ended” is what we hear at every Catholic funeral.
The Responsorial Psalm (#130) today is: “With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption. From out of the depths I cry unto you, Lord…” Death is not just a physical dying. When we go to the full depth of things, when we hit the bottom, and when we are in events beyond our own control, we all may experience a kind of death. We are bound by our failings and sin. We all pass through many “deaths” in our lifetime and each “death” is an opportunity for transformation, for conversion, for growth and new life.
When we experience death (especially those of our very own sins and mistakes), we know that with the help of true reconciliation we will rise from these depths of our spiritual tombs and be freed from what binds us and be rescued. God will open the graves of our souls, release us from our bonds and put a new spirit within us, and we will be saved. Normally the very things that would destroy us—tragedy, sorrow, calamity, pain, prejudice, intolerance, injustice, grief—God will use to transform and enlighten us! We are unbound by Jesus from all that binds us—like after Lazarus left his grave.
The Psalm tells us that there is mercy and redemption for all. There is resurrection and life for those who believe that being saved means you have allowed and accepted the mystery of transformation and conversion, always a pure gift of God. Opening graves and being set free is what the season of Lent is all about…
Keep singing!
Elizabeth Dyc
The Responsorial Psalm (#130) today is: “With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption. From out of the depths I cry unto you, Lord…” Death is not just a physical dying. When we go to the full depth of things, when we hit the bottom, and when we are in events beyond our own control, we all may experience a kind of death. We are bound by our failings and sin. We all pass through many “deaths” in our lifetime and each “death” is an opportunity for transformation, for conversion, for growth and new life.
When we experience death (especially those of our very own sins and mistakes), we know that with the help of true reconciliation we will rise from these depths of our spiritual tombs and be freed from what binds us and be rescued. God will open the graves of our souls, release us from our bonds and put a new spirit within us, and we will be saved. Normally the very things that would destroy us—tragedy, sorrow, calamity, pain, prejudice, intolerance, injustice, grief—God will use to transform and enlighten us! We are unbound by Jesus from all that binds us—like after Lazarus left his grave.
The Psalm tells us that there is mercy and redemption for all. There is resurrection and life for those who believe that being saved means you have allowed and accepted the mystery of transformation and conversion, always a pure gift of God. Opening graves and being set free is what the season of Lent is all about…
Keep singing!
Elizabeth Dyc
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