{UAH} Roll The Stone Away: Lazarus Come Out!

 

"So the sisters sent word to him 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,"

Click here to read this Sunday's Gospel - Jn. 11: 1- 45

 

 

 

"Take the Stone Away, Come Out!"

By Fr. Mark Hollis

All three readings this Sunday focus on rising from the dead. As exiles, the Israelites were like dead people, without a homeland and without the type of life to which they were accustomed. How they longed to go home. In the midst of their exile, the people hear these words from the prophet Ezekiel. "Thus says the Lord God: O my people, I will open your graves and have your rise from them and bring you back to the land of Israel" (Ezekiel 37: 12-13). How will that happen? In verse 14 we read, "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." In the Gospel (John 11: 1-45), we see that Jesus has ultimate power over life and death, as He raises Lazarus from the dead. The account begins with Jesus hearing of the serious illness of Lazarus. And he responds: "This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son may be glorified through it" (vs. 4). At the time of Christ, there were some who held that the soul hovered over the body for three days; by the fourth day there was no hope of life returning. Jesus then tells the Apostles that Lazarus has died and waits four days until he goes to the tomb. When He arrives at the tomb Jesus prays He orders the stone to be taken away. He then prays: "Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me, but because of the crowd I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me" (vss. 41-42). Here we see, as in verse four referenced above, the intimate relationship between Jesus and His Father. Then Jesus cries out in a loud voice and Lazarus comes forth from the dead. At times, our lives may seem to be lifeless. Our sins can isolate us from God and others, wrapping us in our own self-centeredness, enshrouding us in darkness. Like the Israelites in the Book of Ezekiel or Lazarus in John's Gospel, we need someone to lift us out of our tomb-like existence. It is Jesus, the Light of the World, who can do just that. During this Lenten season, the Church recommends that we celebrate the Sacrament of Penance. It is in such an encounter that the Light of Christ shatters the darkness of sin and death. As in the case of Lazarus, we too experience the ultimate power of Christ over sin and death when we are forgiven in this great sacrament. St. Paul reminds us in today's letter to the Romans that if the Spirit of God lives in us, then that Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will raise us also. As we continue our Lenten journey let us be attentive to the Lord's voice calling us to an ever-deeper relationship with Him. Don't be surprised if that call is an invitation to leave the darkness of our sin behind and walk in the Light of the Lord. Jesus may be calling to you and me, firmly but gently: "Come out!"

Paul Mugerwa