Lent is a season that reminds us to labor to avoid sinning. Man, destined to die, labors to avert his dying and yet man, destined to live in eternity does not labor to avoid sinning. In regard to the death of the flesh, which without a doubt must someday come, all guard against its coming: that is the reason for their labors. Every man fears the death of the flesh, few the death of the soul. Saint Augustine wrote in a homily on this Gospel: Everyone who sins, dies. We truly experience new life, a kind of second Baptism, through this sacrament of God’s mercy. So the Lord, through His priests, unbinds sinners from the chains of sin, from spiritual death in the sacrament of Penance. Jesus told the people to unbind the burial bands from Lazarus as he came forth from the tomb. Just as burial clothes bound Lazarus, sin binds human beings. In this vein, Saint Augustine saw the raising of Lazarus as a symbol of the sacrament of Penance. While the Gospel of the raising of Lazarus shows Jesus’ power over physical death, it also points to Jesus’ power over spiritual death. When the body of our earthly dwelling lies in death, we gain an everlasting dwelling place in heaven. We express this faith in the resurrection in the beautiful prayer in the Roman Missal, part of the Preface at Funeral Masses: Lord, for your faithful people life is changed, not ended. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world. When Jesus asked Martha if she believed He was the resurrection and the life, she replied: Yes, Lord. We need Martha’s faith in the midst of the doubts and fears we might encounter in the face of tragedies, especially in the face of death. Christ gives us a trustworthy hope of life beyond death. It shows us Christ’s lordship over death. He is “the life” who pulls down that wall that can seem so impenetrable to us: the wall of death. The raising of Lazarus was a sign of Christ’s power over death. The truth of Jesus’ proclamation that He is the resurrection and the life would become even more apparent on Easter Sunday morning with His own resurrection, the final victory over evil and death. A short time later, all were able to see the truth of Jesus’ words when, at His command, Lazarus (who had already been in the tomb for four days) came forth alive. We can only imagine the surprise, maybe even consternation, of those who heard Jesus say those words. It is good when we commend our deceased brothers and sisters to the Lord that we hear the words of Jesus to Lazarus’ sister Martha, words that give us comfort and hope: 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. This story from the 11 th chapter of John’s Gospel is frequently chosen for funeral Masses. We are all familiar with the miracle of Jesus raising his friend Lazarus from the dead. They have meaning for all of us as we strive, with the help of God’s grace, to live our baptismal promises. These Gospels continue to be proclaimed and have particular meaning for our catechumens preparing for Baptism at the Easter Vigil. These Sundays of Lent form a stimulating baptismal journey since the first centuries of Christianity. The raising of Lazarus from the dead points to our rising in faith to a new and eternal life through Baptism. This Sunday’s Gospel, again from Saint John, also has a baptismal significance. These profound passages from Saint John’s Gospel have a baptismal perspective: Jesus promising living water to the Samaritan woman and Jesus, the Light of the world, giving sight to the man born blind. In my last two columns, I reflected on the Sunday Gospels of the woman at the well and of the man born blind.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |