Readings for April 6, 2014

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Il-Ħames Ħadd tar-Randan

Messalin A pp 157

Reading 1             -         ezekiel 37:12-14

Thus says the Lord GOD: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel.Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people! 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. This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni    -    Qari mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Eżekjel 37, 12-14

Ekk qal Sidi l-Mulej:  "Ara, jiena niftaħ l-oqbra tagħkom, poplu tiegħi, u nġibkom lura f'art Iżrael.  Imbagħad tkunu tafu li jiena l-Mulej, meta niftaħ l-oqrba tagħkom u ntelagħkom mill-oqrba tagħkom, poplu tiegħi.  U jiena nqiegħed ruħi fikom, u terġgħu tieħdu l-ħajja. Inqegħedkom f'artkom u tkunu tafu li jiena l-Mulej. Hekk għedt, u hekk nagħmel."  Oraklu tal-Mulej. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej  

Responsorial Psalm               -              psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

R/ (7) With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.                                               R/

If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.                                                   R/

I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
More than sentinels wait for the dawn,
let Israel wait for the Lord=.                                               R/

For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.                                                       R/

Salm Responsorjali                    -        Salm 29(30)

                        R/    Għand il-Mulej hemm it-tjieba.

Minn qiegħ l-art insejjaħlek, Mulej;

isma', Sidi, il-leħen tiegħi!

Ħa jkunu widnejk miftuħa,

jiena u nitolbok bil-ħniena.                                                R/

Jekk tal-ħtijiet int tagħti kas, Mulej,

Sidi, min jista' jżomm sħiħ?

Imma għandek hemm il-maħfra,

biex hekk inqimuk fil-biża tiegħek.                  R/

 Jien lill-Mulej nistenna,

aruħi f'kelmtu tittama.

Tistenna ruħi lil Sidi,

aktar milli l-għassieisa s-sebħ.                                            R/

Jistenna Iżrael lill-Mulej!

Għax għand il-Mulej hemm it-tjieba,

u l-fidwa għandu bil-kotra.

Hu li jifdi lil Iżrael

minn ħtijietu kollha.                                                            R/

reading 2        -              romans 8:8-11

Brothers and sisters: Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh;  on the contrary, you are in the spirit,  if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin,  the spirit is alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,  the one who raised Christ from the dead  will give life to your mortal bodies also,  through his Spirit dwelling in you. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni    -   mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 8, 8-11

Ħuti, dawk li jgħixu skond il-ġisem ma jistgħux jogħġbu lil Alla. Issa intom  ma intomx taħt il-ħakma tal-ġisem, imma ta' l-Ispirtu, ladarba hemm l-Ispirtu ta' Alla jgħammar fikom. Jekk xi ħadd ma għandux fih l-Ispirtu ta' Kristu, dan m'huwiex tiegħu. Jekk Kristu jgħammar fikom, għalkemm il-ġisem hu mejjet minħabba d-dnub, imma l-Ispirtu hu ħajjitkom minħabba   l-ġustizzja.  Jekk l-Ispirtu  ta' dak li qajjem lil Ġesu' mill-imwiet jgħammar fikom, Alla stess li qajjem lil Kristu mill-imwiet iqajjem għall-ħajja wkoll il-ġisem mejjet tagħkom, bis-saħħa ta' l-Ispirtu li jgħammar fikom. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Gospel               -              john 11:1-45

Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. 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, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was.Then after this he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”  The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?”Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” He said this, and then told them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.” So the disciples said to him, “Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.” But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep. So then Jesus said to them clearly, “Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him.” So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples,  “Let us also go to die with him.”  When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus  had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother.When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “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. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, “The teacher is here and is asking for you.”As soon as she heard this,she rose quickly and went to him. For Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still where Martha had met him. So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her,  presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.” And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” But some of them said,  “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man  have done something so that this man would not have died?” So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench;  he has been dead for four days.  Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe  you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me;  but because of the crowd here I have said this,  that they may believe that you sent me.” And when he had said this, He cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands,  and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go. ”Now many of the Jews  who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him. This is the Word of The Lord.

Evanġelju  -   skond San Ġwann  11, 1-45

F'dak iż-żmien, kien hemm wieħed marid, Lazzru minn Betanja, ir-raħal ta' Marija u oħta Marta.  Marija kienet dik li dilket il-Mulej b'żejt ifuħ u xxuttatlu riġlej b'xuxitha; u Lazzru, il-marid, kien ħuha. Iż-żewġ nisa bagħtu jgħidu lil Ġesu':  "Mulej, ara ħabibek marid." Meta sama'  l-aħbar Ġesu' qal:  "Din m'hijiex marda tal-mewt, iżda hi  għall-glorja ta' Alla, biex  biha tingħata glorja lill-Iben ta' Alla."  Ġesu' kien iħobbhom lil Marta u lil oħtha u lil Lazzru.  Meta sama' li dan marad, baqa' jumejn oħra fejn kien, u mbagħad qal lid-dixxipli: "Ejjew nerġgħu mmorru l-Lhudija."  Qalulu d-dixxipli:  "Rabbi,  il-Lhud  għadhom kemm kienu qegħdin ifittxu li jħaġġruk, u int rieġa sejjer hemm?" Weġibhom Ġesu':  "Mhux tnax-il siegħa fiha l-ġurnata?  Sakemm wieħed jimxi bi nhar, ma jitfixkilx, għax ikun qiegħed jara d-dawl ta' din id-dinja. Imma min jimxi bil-lejl, jitfixkel, għax ma jkollux dawl." Qalilhom hekk u mbagħad issokta jgħidilhom: "Ħabbibna Lazzru rieqed,  iżda ħa mmur u nqajmu."   Qalulu d-dixxipli: "Mulej, jekk inhu rieqed, jiġifieri se jfiq." Iżda Ġesu' kien tkellem mill-mewt tiegħu, u huma ħaduha li kien qalilhom ċar u tond:  "LaAzzru miet.  U jiena nifraħ minħabba fikom li ma kontx hemm, ħalli temmnu.  Iżda ejjem immorru sa ħdejh."  Tumas, imlaqqam it-Tewmi, qal lid-dixxipli:  "Immoru aħna wkoll ħa mmutu miegħu." Meta wasal, Ġesu' sab li Lazzru kien ġa ilu erbat ijiem fil-qabar.  Betanja kienet qrib Ġerusalemm, xi ħmistax-il stadju 'l hemm minnha.  Ħafna Lhud kienu ġew għand Marta u Marija biex ifarrġuhom minħabba  Ħuhom.  Kif, mela, semgħet li kien ġej Ġesu', Marta ħarġet tilqgħu, iżda Marija baqgħet id-dar.  Marta qalet lil Ġesu': "Mulej, kieku kont hawn,  ħija ma kien imut.  Imma wkoll isisa, jiena naf li kull ma int titlob lil Alla, Alla jagħtrihulek."  Ġesu' qalilha:  "Ħuk jerġa jqum!"   Qaltlu Marta:  "Jiena naf li jerġa' jqum, fil-qawmien mill-imwiet fl-aħħar jum."  Qalilha Ġesu':  "Jiena hu l-qawmien u l-ħajja.  Kull min jemmen fija, ukoll jekk imut, jgħix;  u kull min jgħix u jemmen fiha, dan ma jmut qatt.  Temmnu inti dan?" Weġbitu:   "Iva, Mulej, jiena nemmen li inti l-Messija, l-Iben ta' Alla, dak li ġie fid-dinja."  Kif qalet dan, marret issejjaħ lil oħtha Marija u minn taħt l-ilsien qalitilha: "L-Imgħallem hawn, u qiegħed isejjaħlek."  Dik, malli semgħetha, qamet minnufih u marret ħdejh.  Ġesu' kien għadu ma daħalx fir-raħal, imma baqa'  fejn kienet ġiet tiltaqgħa miegħu Marta.  Il-Lhud li kienu d-dar ta' Marija biex ifarrġuha, kif rawha tqum malajr u toħroġ, marru warajha, għax stħajluha sejra lejn il-qabar biex toqgħod tibki hemm.  Meta Marija waslet fejn kien Ġesu' u ratu  nxteħtet f'riġlejh, tgħidlu:  "Mulej,  kieku kont hawn  ħija ma kienx imut."  Ġesu', kif ra lilha tibki u l-Lhud, li ġew magħha, jibku ukoll, ħass ruħu mqanqal, u tħawwad ħafna.  "Fejn qegħedtuh?" staqsiehom.  Huma weġbuħ:  "Mulej, ejja u ara."  U Ġesu' beka.  Għalhekk il-Lhud qalu: "Ara kemm kien iħobbu!"  Iżda xi wħud minnhom  qalu:  "Ma setax dan il-bniedem, li fetaħ l-għajnejn l-agħma, jagħmel ukoll li dam ma jmutx?  "Ġesu' ħass ruħu mqanqal għal darb'oħra u resaq lejn il-qabar.  Dan kien għar maqgħluq  bi blata fuqu.  Ġesu' qal: "Neħħu l-blata."  Marta, oħt il-mejjet, qaltlu:  "Mulej issa beda  jrejjaħ; ġa ilu erbat ijiem mejjet."  Qalilha Ġesu': "Ma għedtlekx li jekk inti temmen, tara l-glorja ta' Alla?"  Imbagħad neħħew il-blata.  Ġesu' rafa' għajnejh 'il fuq u qal:  "Missier, irroddlok ħajr li smajtni.  Kont naf li inti dejjem tismagħni, imma għidt dan minħabba n-nies li hawn madwari, biex huma jemmnu li inti bgħattni."  Kif qal hekk, għajjajt b'leħen għoli:  "Lazzru oħroġ!"   U dak li kien mejjet ħareġ, b'idejh u riġlejħ infaxxiti u b'maktur  ma' wiċċu.  Ġesu' qalilhom:  "Hollulu l-faxed u ħalluh imur." Ħafna mil-Lhud, li kienu ġew għand Marija u raw dak li għamel Ġesu', emmnu fih. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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COMMENTARY

Hope in a Time of Loss

By Larry Broding

 What was the last funeral you attended? Was the deceased close to you? Did you need time to grieve?

In spite of all our efforts, we cannot escape death. How we face death, however, can help determine our quality of life. Does the end of life give us despair or hope? In the story of Lazarus, John challenges us to see hope in death through the eyes of faith.  The narrative about the resurrection of Lazarus stood out as the premier miracle before the Passion. John crafted the story to remove any doubt in the power of Jesus. And to present the reader with a real challenge of faith in God's Son.

When Martha heard Jesus was coming, she left her home (the customary place of grieving) to meet him. As she greeted Jesus, she believed in him only as a healer. Yes, placed her faith in Jesus and in his relationship with the Father. God still worked through Jesus. But, only if things were different...  When Jesus announced Lazarus would rise again, Martha responded with an answer many Jews at the time of Jesus held; Lazarus would indeed rise on the day of judgment. She could not see beyond her assumptions.

Jesus, then, revealed himself to Martha: "I AM the resurrection and the life." Just as he identified himself to the Samaritan woman in John 4:26, Jesus used the phrase "I AM" to denote his own divinity and his relationship to the Father. He was God and he was God's instrument.  Jesus directed his identity toward the subject at hand. "I AM the resurrection and the life." Those who entrust themselves to Jesus will never see spiritual death. In spite of physical death, they will always have life in Christ. (Perhaps, we should reverse the phrase. In Christ, we have eternal life now that will bring us to resurrection). In 11:23 Jesus inferred Lazarus had eternal life because he would be raised. Did Martha entrust herself to Jesus, so she, too, could have life?

Yes, Martha believed. She saw Jesus was more than a mere healer. In Jesus, she experienced God. She professed Jesus to be the Messiah, the One promised in the Scripture.  But, Mary and the others did not understand. Their sorrow moved Jesus, but their immature faith angered him (see 11:32 for Mary's reaction; 11:37 for the crowd's reaction). At this point, Jesus felt sorrow for the loss of his friend and indignation at the crowd. [11:33-38]   At the tomb, Jesus ordered the stone to the tomb rolled away. Martha objected with the obvious. There would be a stench. Jesus countered with a question of faith. Instead of odour, Martha would see God's glory through eyes of faith.

After the stone was removed, Jesus thanked the Father for their relationship. The Father (always) listened to Jesus. (He repeated the phrase "listen to me" twice). In Greek, "listen to" projected a sense outside of time, in the realm of the eternal. Throughout time, the Father heard the request of the Son. Jesus prayed, not for his own benefit, but for the faith of his audience.

Jesus gave two orders: first, that Lazarus to come out of the tomb (picture above right) and, second, that the crowd to untie his burial cloth. In these two orders, Jesus showed his faith in the Father was certain. Those who trusted Jesus could share in that certainty. Those in Christ would have a life that led to resurrection. When he created humanity, God sowed the seeds of salvation, specifically, the resurrection. Over the time, we have come to realize God wants more for us, his creatures, than a transient nature. He wants us to live with him as he created us, body and soul.

As Christ rose from the dead, he became a sign of our destiny and a pledge of God's will for us. More important, when we join ourselves to Christ, we share in the power of his resurrection. Like the "here.. but not yet" nature of God's Kingdom, we experience rising from spiritual death every time we reconcile with Christ and join intimately with him in the Eucharist. Yet, our physical resurrection is to come.  "What is rising?" When we rise from the dead, we will be made permanently whole, body and spirit, never to die again. "Who will rise?" The blessed will see God forever while the damned will eternally reject his presence.  "How?" We will rise in the same way Christ rose, through the same power of his resurrection. Our lowly bodies will become "spiritual." While we do not know the specifics of this new life, we can rest assured in the knowledge it will happen.  "When?" We will rise on the last day, when Christ will return to judge all humanity.

Because God will raise our bodies up on the last day, our bodies are the vessels of salvation. To show our faith in Christ, we wash our bodies in the waters of Baptism and nourish them with the Bread of Life at Eucharist. In these ways, our bodies partake in their future glory, here and now. Thus we should show respect to our bodies and to others', especially the weak and the suffering. And we should honour the bodies of the dead who live with the Lord.

How can faith strengthen you in your loss?

Do you know of anyone who has lost a loved one and who has become stronger because of faith?

The loss of a loved one can bring despair in the loss, or it can bring hope found in the resurrection. Our hope depends upon our faith in Christ. Is our faith active, seeking a closer walk with the Lord? Or, is the Lord at a comfortable distance of our choosing? Remember, how we live reflects how we view death..

Does the idea of death inspire faith or doubt? Share your answer with the Lord in prayer.