Jesus Christ - Our Resurrection

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

Hekk qal Sidi l-Mulej:  "Ara, jiena niftaħ l-oqbra tagħkom, poplu tiegħi, u nġibkom lura 'art Iżrael. Imbagħad tkunu tafu li jiena l-Mulej, meta niftaħ l-oqrba  tagħkom u ntelagħkom m ill-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

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/  With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.                                 
R/  With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

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/  With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

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

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

Salm Responsorjali

Salm 29(30)

Minn qiegħ l-art insejjaħlek, Mulej;

isma', Sidi, il-leħen tiegħi!

Ħa jkunu widnejk miftuħa,

jiena u nitolbok bil-ħniena.                                 

R/    Għand il-Mulej hemm it-tjieba.

Jekk tal-ħtijiet int tagħti kas, Mulej,

Sidi, min jista' jżomm sħiħ?

Imma għandek hemm il-maħfra,

biex hekk inqimuk fil-biża tiegħek.                      

R/    Għand il-Mulej hemm it-tjieba.

 Jien lill-Mulej nistenna,

ruħi f'kelmtu tittama.

Tistenna ruħi lil Sidi,

aktar milli l-għassiesa s-sebħ.                

R/    Għand il-Mulej hemm it-tjieba.

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/    Għand il-Mulej hemm it-tjieba.

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

Qari mill-Ittra ta' San Pawl Appostlu 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

Qari mill-Evanġelju skond San Ġwann 11, 1-45

Ff'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:  "Lazzru 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 jagħtihulek."  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.  Humaweġbuħ:  "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, taral-glorja ta' Alla?"  Imbagħad neħħew il-blata.  Ġesu' rafa' għajnejh 'il fuq u qal:  "Missier, 0irroddlok 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 by: Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB

“I will open your graves and have you rise from them”

Ezekiel’s dramatic vision and ours

The historical background of Sunday’s first reading from Ezekiel 37:12-14 is the great vision of the valley of the dry bones, one of the most spectacular panoramas in the whole of biblical literature. It dates back to the early sixth century BC when the hand of God came upon Ezekiel while the Jews were in captivity in Babylon. For about 150 years the political fortunes of the Jewish people had been in decline. The turning point came in 587 BC with the final catastrophic defeat and the beginning of the great exile for the Jewish people who were in deep despair, powerless over the situation which befell them. It is against this bleak background that Ezekiel’s dramatic vision unfolds – where the dead withered into whitened skeletons as the birds of prey had long finished destroying their flesh. What an incredible battlefield of unburied corpses! What a stench of death and decay!

The reluctant prophet Ezekiel was commanded by God to prophesy to these bones, to revive them. With the help of a massive earthquake, the bones rushed together with an eerie clamour. Sinews knitted them together, flesh and then skin clothed the corpses. The breath, “ruah,” Spirit of God came from the four extremities of the earth, as the limp bodies came “to life again and stood up on their feet, a great and immense army” (Ezekiel 37:10). Whereas we now understand this incident as a pre-figuration of the resurrection of the dead, the Jews of Ezekiel’s time did not believe in such a conception of the afterlife. For them the immense resurrected army represented all the Jewish people, those from the northern kingdom who had previously fled to Assyria; those at home and those in exile in Babylon. They were to be reconstituted as a people in their own land and they would know that the one true God alone had done this.

Through the centuries, Christians have proclaimed this text during the liturgy of Easter night as we welcome new members into the Church. Ezekiel’s powerful words offer a stirring image of the God of Israel’s regenerative, restorative, renewing power for this life and for all eternity. Through the centuries, believers in the God and father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jesus have taken heart in Ezekiel’s vision, because we believe it to be our story as well. We believe in the power of God’s forgiveness, the capacity of Christ, and the Catholic tradition to revive us and bring us to life even when all around us seems to announce night, darkness, death, dissolution, and despair.

Christian life is a constant challenge

Through St. Paul’s writing to the community in Rome (8:8-11), we learn that through the Cross of Jesus Christ, God broke the power of sin and pronounced sentence on it (8:3). Christians still retain the flesh, but it is alien to their new being, which is life in the spirit, namely the new self, governed by the Holy Spirit. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, Christians are able to fulfil the divine will that formerly found expression in the law (8:4). The same Spirit who enlivens Christians for holiness will also resurrect their bodies at the last day (8:11). Christian life is therefore the experience of a constant challenge to put to death the evil deeds of the body through the life of the spirit (8:13).

Jesus’ gift of life leads to his own death

Sunday’s pathos-filled Gospel story – the raising of Lazarus – is the longest continuous narrative in John’s Gospel (11:1-44) outside of the passion account and the climax of the signs of Jesus. The story is situated shortly before Jesus is captured, tried, and crucified. It is the event that most directly results in his condemnation by those seeking to kill him. Johannine irony is found in the fact that Jesus’ gift of life leads to his own death. Jesus was aware of the illness of his friend Lazarus and yet did not go to work a healing. In fact, he delayed for several days after Lazarus’ death, meanwhile giving his disciples lessons along the way about the light – lessons incomprehensible in the face of grave illness and death but understandable in the light shed by Lazarus’ and Christ’s resurrections.

Jesus declared to Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, he will live; whoever lives and believes in me, will never die” (11:25-26). Then he adds: “Do you believe this?” (11:26) The Lord urges us to respond just as Martha did, “Yes, Lord! We too believe, despite our doubts and our darkness; we believe in you, because you have the words of eternal life; we want to believe in you, who gives us a trustworthy hope of life beyond life, of authentic and full life in your kingdom of light and peace.”

Lord, if only you had been here…

How often have we, like Martha and Mary, blurted out those same words of pain and despair: “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother (or sister or mother or father or friend) would not have died” (11:32). And yet today’s emotionally-charged story from John’s Gospel tells us what kind of God we have: a God who “groaned in spirit and was troubled” (11:33). The Greek word used here to describe Jesus’ gut sentiment tells us that he became perturbed. It is a startling Greek phrase that literally means: “He snorted in spirit,” perhaps in anger at the presence of evil (death). We witness the Lord weeping at the tomb of his friend Lazarus; a Saviour deeply moved at the commotion and grief of so many friends of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. The shortest line in the whole bible is found in this Gospel story: “Jesus wept” (11:35).

Jesus reveals to us God who is one with us in suffering, grief and death: a God who weeps with us. God doesn’t intervene to prevent the tragedies and sufferings of life. If we had a god who simply swooped down as some “deus ex machina” to prevent human tragedy and sinfulness, then religion and faith would simply be reduced to some form of magic or fate, and we would be helpless pawns on the chessboard of some whimsical deity. Where is God in the midst of human tragedies? God is there in the midst of it all, weeping. This is our God who stands in deep, human solidarity with us, and through the glory of the Incarnation, embraces fully our human condition.

Death of the heart and spirit

The story of the raising of Lazarus also speaks to us about another kind of death. We can be dead, even before we die, while we are still in this life. This is not only the death of the soul caused by sin but rather a death that manifests itself through the absence of energy, hope, and a desire to fight and to continue to life. We often refer to this reality as death of the heart or spiritual death. There are many people who are enchained in this kind of death every day because of the sad and tragic circumstances of their lives. Who can possibly reverse this situation and revive us, stir us back to life, free us from the tombs that enchain us? Who can perform the spiritual cardio-pulmonary resuscitation that will reverse such desperate situations?

For certain afflictions, there exists no human remedy. Words of encouragement often fail to effect any change. Many times people in these situations are not able to do anything, not even pray. They are like Lazarus in the tomb. They need others to do something for them. Jesus once spoke these words to his disciples: “Heal the sick, raise the dead” (Matthew 10:8). Among the corporal works of mercy – feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick, visiting prisoners – the last one is burying the dead. Today’s Gospel tells us that in addition to this corporal work of mercy, we must also “raise the dead.”

Only the One who has entered death’s realm and engaged death itself in battle can give life to those who have died. John recounts the raising of Lazarus as a sign that transforms tragedy into hope. Lazarus’ illness and death are an occasion for the manifestation of God’s glory. As Christians we do not expect to escape death; but we approach it with faith in the resurrection.

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