Fr. Jerome Pistoni sx
LAZARUS !! COME OUT!!
During the season of Lent, the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays are dedicated to the Scrutinies or Purifications of the Elect. These are special prayers that are meant to prepare them for the sacrament of Baptism. In each of these three Sundays, John's Gospel presents three characters who are offered to the Elect as examples of the journey of faith that they should follow in preparation for their Baptism: the Samaritan woman, the blind man and finally Lazarus. Of the first two we do not know the names, but they have experienced a real and personal encounter with Jesus.
The Samaritan woman spoke and listened to Jesus, and this dialogue changed her from a hostile host into an enthusiastic disciple and apostle. The Elect are invited to imitate her example so that they, too, can drink the living water that Jesus is offering to them.
The blind man experienced a healing change, a new sight, in his life through the mercy and compassion of Jesus; this led him to believe and worship him when Jesus revealed him his identity as the Son of man, the Son of God, the true light and Saviour of the world.
The last character that is presented in the 5th Sunday of Lent, is Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, the brother of Martha and Mary.
Unlike the Samaritan woman and the blind man, Lazarus did not play any role in this story, even though he was the only one whose name we know. The sisters instead played a very active part. In turn they went to Jesus to express their disappointment because he had not come earlier to heal Lazarus when he was still alive. It is a sense of powerlessness that they experience in front of death: "If you had been here, my brother would not have died"; by these words Martha is saying to Jesus what she feels: Now it is too late to do anything about my brother's death.
The conclusion of this story is the powerful miracle of Lazarus' resurrection before the eyes of a big crowd. With great authority Jesus shouts: Lazarus, come out!!! It the is a COMMAND that Jesus gives to the dead man, and he obeys. The word of Jesus is more powerful than death itself. But what is the intention of Jesus while performing this miracle, if later Lazarus would die again? Clearly he is calling on the faith of all the people standing around: He is the Son of Man, the "STRONGER MAN " that has come to conquer death and to offer life eternal to anybody who believes.
It is interesting that this chapter of John's Gospel is made up of 44 verses and only the last two verses tell us about the miracle. The miracle that takes place does not concern only Lazarus coming out of the tomb; it concerns also Martha and Mary, who discover and believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life... NOW, this very moment.
Martha and Mary are the protagonists of the story: Like the blind man of last Sunday, their eyes are opened and they come to believe that Jesus is more powerful than death itself.
'I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?'
LAZARUS !! COME OUT!!
During the season of Lent, the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays are dedicated to the Scrutinies or Purifications of the Elect. These are special prayers that are meant to prepare them for the sacrament of Baptism. In each of these three Sundays, John's Gospel presents three characters who are offered to the Elect as examples of the journey of faith that they should follow in preparation for their Baptism: the Samaritan woman, the blind man and finally Lazarus. Of the first two we do not know the names, but they have experienced a real and personal encounter with Jesus.
The Samaritan woman spoke and listened to Jesus, and this dialogue changed her from a hostile host into an enthusiastic disciple and apostle. The Elect are invited to imitate her example so that they, too, can drink the living water that Jesus is offering to them.
The blind man experienced a healing change, a new sight, in his life through the mercy and compassion of Jesus; this led him to believe and worship him when Jesus revealed him his identity as the Son of man, the Son of God, the true light and Saviour of the world.
The last character that is presented in the 5th Sunday of Lent, is Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, the brother of Martha and Mary.
Unlike the Samaritan woman and the blind man, Lazarus did not play any role in this story, even though he was the only one whose name we know. The sisters instead played a very active part. In turn they went to Jesus to express their disappointment because he had not come earlier to heal Lazarus when he was still alive. It is a sense of powerlessness that they experience in front of death: "If you had been here, my brother would not have died"; by these words Martha is saying to Jesus what she feels: Now it is too late to do anything about my brother's death.
The conclusion of this story is the powerful miracle of Lazarus' resurrection before the eyes of a big crowd. With great authority Jesus shouts: Lazarus, come out!!! It the is a COMMAND that Jesus gives to the dead man, and he obeys. The word of Jesus is more powerful than death itself. But what is the intention of Jesus while performing this miracle, if later Lazarus would die again? Clearly he is calling on the faith of all the people standing around: He is the Son of Man, the "STRONGER MAN " that has come to conquer death and to offer life eternal to anybody who believes.
It is interesting that this chapter of John's Gospel is made up of 44 verses and only the last two verses tell us about the miracle. The miracle that takes place does not concern only Lazarus coming out of the tomb; it concerns also Martha and Mary, who discover and believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life... NOW, this very moment.
Martha and Mary are the protagonists of the story: Like the blind man of last Sunday, their eyes are opened and they come to believe that Jesus is more powerful than death itself.
'I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?'