Ezekiel 37.12-14 | Roman 8.8-11 | John 11.1-45

We begin with Mother Church the fifth week of Lent, in which we prepare for the solemnity of Easter, the resurrection of Christ. Through penance and conversion, we want to pass from the slavery of sin and death to the freedom of the children of God and of life.

Today the evangelist John speaks to us of the resurrection of Lazarus, which was the last of the seven signs performed by Jesus, from the perspective of this Gospel, through which He made known that He was the Messiah, the Son of God.

In short, Jesus was informed about the illness of His beloved friend Lazarus by his sister Martha. They lived in Bethany, near Jerusalem. Jesus arrived in the city four days after the death of Lazarus, who was already in a tomb in a cave sealed with a stone.

Jesus told Martha that Lazarus would rise again, and that He was the resurrection and the life. Whoever believed in Him, even though he died, would live. And everyone who lives and believes in Him would never die.

Martha answered Jesus that she firmly believed in Him, calling her sister Mary who, upon arriving, fell to her knees before Jesus and wept. He trembled inwardly, was deeply moved, and also wept - this is the shortest biblical verse (cf. John 11.35).

The Jews recognized Jesus' love for Lazarus. In reality, He was a very close friend of Martha, her sister Mary, and Lazarus.

Surprisingly, Jesus told them to remove the stone from the cave, and commanded the dead man with a loud voice to come out. Lazarus came out, his hands and feet bound with linen cloths, and his face covered with a cloth. Then Jesus ordered them to untie him and let him go.

The evangelist John concluded by saying that many of the Jews who had gone to Mary's house and seen what Jesus had done believed in Him. This last of Jesus' seven signs was proof of the power God gave His Messiah Son over death. The proof was so compelling that the Jews began to believe in Jesus. This will deepen Jesus' persecution by His adversaries, culminating in the crucifixion.

He who called His friend Lazarus from death to life would also pass through death on the Cross and would be called back to life in the resurrection.

In this Lenten season, let us grow in faith and, like Martha, declare our faith in Jesus, the resurrection, and life. Let us believe in Him, certain that we will live forever after our earthly death.

Let us console those who mourn the loss of their loved ones with the good news of hope in eternity with Christ in Heaven, through the merits of His redeeming Cross.

It is not easy to go from death to life. Often sin leaves us bound. But it is necessary to obey the strong voice of Christ and help each other so that we may walk completely unbound.

Today the prophet Ezekiel speaks to us of the Lord who would give life to His people and put His spirit in them.

Prophesying during the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BC, Ezekiel allegorically said that the Lord would open the graves of His people and lead them back to the land of Israel, so that the people would know that He was the Lord who spoke and acted.

In fact, when the Israelites were invaded by the Babylonians, many lost their lives and, most likely, could not even be buried. By saying that He would open the graves to lead His people back to the land of Israel, the Lord was saying that the Israelites would overcome the recent tragedy of the invasion and deaths.

For us Christians, the Lord has the power to say and do whatever He pleases, including bringing to eternal life those who died with faith in Christ who died on the Cross and rose again.

During this Lenten season, let us allow the Lord to open our graves and rescue us from the power of sin and death, and transfer us to the fullness of life in holiness lived in charity with those in need.

Today, the Apostle Paul speaks to us in his letter to the Romans about the power of the Spirit of Christ to give life to our mortal bodies.

The Apostle said that, to please God, the Christian must belong to Christ and live according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh. Thus, although the Christian's body is mortally wounded because of sin, his spirit will be full of life, thanks to righteousness.

Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, the Spirit of Christ has come to dwell in us. At the close of Holy Week, at the Easter Vigil, we will renew our baptismal promises in order to remember and celebrate the presence of the Spirit of Christ in us, which makes us belong to Christ and gives life to our mortal bodies.

During this Lenten season, to please God, let us stop living according to the flesh, satisfying our selfish desires, and embrace life in the Spirit of Christ, sharing what we are and have with those in need.