May Jesus Christ be
praised and may his holy Mother pray for us.
It is the promise of
new life and the promise of the resurrection to eternal life. During these weeks of Lent we have seen the
Lord Jesus conquer temptation in the desert.
We have seen him conquer the fears and worries of the disciples on the
mountain of the Transfiguration. We have
seen him conquer the chains of sin at the well and conquer the darkness of the
man born blind. Today he conquers the
power of death with the promise of the resurrection.
In our reading today
from the book of the prophet Ezekiel the Lord God announces that he will open
the graves of the dead. He promises that
he will raise his people up and bring them back to the Promised Land. The Lord God promises that he will place his
own spirit within each person. He will
give to each of his people the spirit of life.
In the Letter of the
Apostle Paul to the Romans, we hear that we dwell in the spirit because the
Spirit of God dwells within us. When the
Spirit of Christ dwells within us we are truly alive for the very life of God,
the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit lives within our souls. When the Spirit of Christ dwells within us
our body becomes a temple of his glory.
In our reading today
from the Gospel of Saint John we hear of the raising of Lazarus from the
dead. Mary, Martha and Lazarus were
friends of the Lord Jesus and they lived in Bethany. When the Lord Jesus received the news that
Lazarus was ill, he said that the illness of Lazarus was not to end in death
but was for the glory of God. The
illness of Lazarus was to be an opportunity for the Lord Jesus to show his
healing power. The illness of Lazarus
was an opportunity for the Lord Jesus to announce the promise of the
resurrection to eternal life.
When the Lord Jesus
arrived at the tomb of Lazarus, Lazarus had already been dead for four
days. The Lord Jesus told the people to
roll the large stone away from the tomb.
The Lord Jesus called to Lazarus.
The voice of the conqueror spoke before the silence of death, and
Lazarus was restored to life. When Lazarus came out of the tomb, the Lord
Jesus instructed the people to remove the burial bands which bound
Lazarus. The Lord Jesus instructed them,
“Untie him and let him go.”
Each of us, my brothers
and sisters, was born in original sin.
We were born separated from God.
We were born in a spiritual death.
In the waters of the sacrament of baptism, we were called to new
life. In fulfillment of the words of the
prophet Ezekiel we were brought out of our graves and the spirit of life was
placed within us. In fulfillment of the
words of the Apostle Paul, the very life of God began to dwell within our
souls. The Lord Jesus himself called us
to new and eternal life in the waters of baptism. The Lord Jesus has entrusted his Church with
the mission of untying the burial bands and empowering each of the baptized to
live in the freedom of the children of God.
We have received new
life in baptism, dear brothers and sisters.
We have received the promise of eternal life in Christ Jesus. May we listen to his voice, follow in his
steps, and live in the power of his Spirit.
Amen.
Preached
at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
