[Salvation]

Jesus, Our Friend

Pastor’s Column

5^th Sunday of Lent- A

April 6, 2014

 

          There is so much we can learn about Christ from the wonderful story of the friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus in this Sunday’s gospel (John 11:1-45).  Both fully God and fully human, Jesus, like all of us, has a personal need for friendships with others who help us and support us on the road of life. 

          Scripture tells us that Jesus could often be found at the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus.  Bethany was a small town near Jerusalem beyond the Mount of Olives.  We don’t know how Jesus met these friends, but we do know that Mary was someone who deeply appreciated Jesus, even to the point of pouring very expensive perfumed oil on his feet and drying them with her hair.  She was very grateful for Jesus.  Accommodations in the city of Jerusalem would have been very expensive as well as being too conspicuous, so Jesus and the disciples would no doubt have found lodging outside the city during his visits.

          Who among us would not want to have Jesus and the disciples as friends, people who could feel free to come and go and stay with us whenever they wished!  But this is exactly the kind of relationship Jesus still desires from each soul that has come to know him! Of course he is always with us, but, like Martha and Mary, there are times when Jesus is especially near; other times, he can feel distant, and we wonder what has taken Jesus so long to answer our prayers, just as Martha and Mary do here.  In prayer, when we worship at Mass, when we hear the Scriptures, when we serve the needs of others, Christ is with us in friendship.  His friendship becomes apparent in the times he has assisted us, though we often do not notice till later!

          When Jesus hears that his friend Lazarus is very ill, he deliberately waits four days before arriving, thus insuring Lazarus will die before he arrives.  Martha and Mary, who have a real and living relationship with Jesus, are not afraid to ask the most difficult question: Lord, if you had only arrived sooner, my brother would not have died!  In other words, Martha and Mary point blank ask him, “Lord, what took you so long!”  Martha then follows this comment up with a strong affirmation of her continuing trust in him.  But she is still hurt by Jesus’ apparent inaction, and so, at times are we.

          Jesus, our friend, is both fully human and fully divine.  This story is really the story of Christ’s action in our own homes, that is, our souls.  Christ wishes to come and go freely, and to always feel welcome in our home.  Only grave sin will close the door to him, but even then, he can’t wait to be invited back through the Sacrament of Reconciliation to repair and clean our home after we have blown it again. There will be times, too, when Jesus seems to wait too long, or appears to be absent, but this too is part of his plan for us.  He knows what is best, even if he keeps us waiting for a long time.  Like Martha and Mary, we can always feel free to express our true feelings to Jesus, even when we feel hurt by him, but also to end on a note of trust in Jesus, our friend.                                                                                                                                                                 

 Father Gary

[Salvation]

At Lazarus’ Tomb: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Fifth Sunday of Lent

Posted by Dr. Scott Hahn on 04.04.14 |

 

Readings:
Ezekiel 37:12-14
Psalm 130:1-8
Romans 8:8-11
John 11:1-45

As we draw near to the end of Lent, today’s Gospel clearly has Jesus’ passion and death in view.

That’s why John gives us the detail about Lazarus’ sister, Mary - that she is the one who anointed the Lord for burial (see John 12:3,7). His disciples warn against returning to Judea; Thomas even predicts they will “die with Him” if they go back.

When Lazarus is raised, John notices the tombstone being taken away, as well as Lazarus’ burial cloths and head covering - all details he later notices with Jesus’ empty tomb (see John 20:1,6,7).

Like the blind man in last week’s readings, Lazarus represents all humanity. He stands for “dead man” - for all those Jesus loves and wants to liberate from the bands of sin and death.

John even recalls the blind man in his account today (see John 11:37). Like the man’s birth in blindness, Lazarus’ death is used by Jesus to reveal “the glory of God” (see John 9:3). And again like last week, Jesus’ words and deeds give sight to those who believe (see John 11:40).

If we believe, we will see - that Jesus loves each of us as He loved Lazarus, that He calls us out of death and into new life.

By His Resurrection Jesus has fulfilled Ezekiel’s promise in today’s First Reading. He has opened the graves that we may rise, put His Spirit in us that we may live. This is the Spirit that Paul writes of in today’s Epistle. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead will give life to we who were once dead in sin.

Faith is the key. If we believe as Martha does in today’s Gospel - that Jesus is the resurrection and the life - even if we die, we will live.

“I have promised and I will do it,” the Father assures us in the First Reading. We must trust in His word, as we sing in today’s Psalm - that with Him is forgiveness and salvation.