5th Sunday of lent year A

5th Sunday of lent year A

“Take away the stone”, Jesus said.

Dear brothers and sisters, this is a Homily for 5th Sunday of lent year A. On this 5th Sunday of lent, we reflect on the presence of Jesus at Bethany in the family of Martha and Mary. In this Sunday homily, we are going to look at How does St. Augustine interpret the story of Lazarus coming back to life? How many people did Jesus raise from the death? Finally, the emphasis on the steps taken by Jesus while at the tomb where Lazarus was laid to rest.

To begin with, let us remind ourselves that the 1st Sunday of lent, we were led in to the desert to pray and fast, on the 2nd Sunday, we were taken to the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain, on the 3rd Sunday, we looked at the encounter of Jesus with a Samaritan woman at the well, on the 4th Sunday, which is last Sunday, we learned that Jesus is light of the world and he healed the man born blind, and finally on this 5th Sunday of lent year A, we look at the presence of Jesus at Bethany with special emphasis of how he brought back Lazarus to life.

Is there any link in terms of themes between the 3rd, the 4th and the 5th Sunday of lent as far as Easter Vigil is concerned? Yes, there is a link of themes because on the 3rd Sunday of lent, the theme of Water is seen, 4th Sunday, the theme of light is seen and on the 5th Sunday, the theme of life. Therefore, the three realities that is Water, light and life correspond to what we shall celebrate on the Easter vigil mass by using water to baptize the catechumens, light from the pascal candle and finally newly baptized will have new life.

How does Saint Augustine understand the passage of Lazarus coming back to life? First and foremost, it reminds him of the three individuals that Jesus raised from the dead. These are 1. The daughter of Jairus who had just died and therefore was still in the House (Luke 8:40-56) 2. The son of the widow at Nain, who was on the way to be buried (Luke 7:11-17) and finally 3. Lazarus who was already in the tomb (John 11:17-44). In fact, For St. Augustine, the three mentioned died person were brought back to life even though they were in different stages after death. It shows that Jesus Christ dominates death in whichever form it may be. Another level in which Saint Augustine understands the three dead persons mentioned above is that he relates it to sin that makes us dead in our Christian life. More specifically, the daughter of Jairus who had just died and was still in the house which represents sins that are in our hearts, the son of the widow at Nain who was outside the house represents sins that influence us or affect us from outside and finally Lazarus who was already buried and smelling represents sins that are chronic in our life. Nevertheless, Christ brought back the three into life hence he can save us from whichever sinful situation one may be.

Why is the presence of Jesus at Bethany important today? The presence of Jesus at Bethany is characterized by a demand sent by the family of Lazarus. The context in this family is sadness because some jews were wailing the death of Lazarus, whose name means Helpless, hence Martha and Mary were hopeless, desperate and that is why when Jesus talked of Lazarus coming back to life, they could not understand, and they were confused. The importance of Jesus at Bethany is seen clearly when he is at the tomb where Lazarus was laid to rest. What does he do to bring Lazarus back to life? He performed 4 steps namely:

1. He ordered the stone to be removed. Here, we single out the role of the community to help and remove the stone and not just to wail at the funeral. Do you offer help during funerals or you remain at the crying and wailing level? Remove some stones that block you from advancing in life, as a family or as a religious. Some pray for vocations, but they don’t want to let their sons and daughters to go to church or participate in church activities.

2. Prayer. Jesus offered a prayer after the stone was removed. With what intention? To pray for those around him to believe in the power of God. Remember, Martha, Mary and some jews were doubting but Jesus prayed for them to believe in the power of God. The objective of the prayer offered by Jesus at the tomb is for people to believe in God.

3. The command “Lazarus, come out”, said Jesus. Finally,

4. Lazarus came out of the tomb may be rolling out because he was tied, wrapped and therefore he could not walk. Jesus ordered that Lazarus to be untied because he was helpless as his name would mean. What happened when Lazarus came out from the tomb, they untied him, then? Of course, the text does not tell us whether they talked to him or they rejoiced or they were shocked but the essence is that they believed in Christ. They had faith in Christ.

To conclude, on this 5th Sunday of lent year A, we are invited to believe in Christ who can bring us back to life. AMEN.

HAVE A BLESSED SUNDAY!!!!!