5th Sunday of Lent ~ April 10 ~ Mass Rdgs & Reflection

April 10, 2011 ~ Liturgical Year A, Cycle I ~ Fifth Sunday of Lent


First Reading: Ezekiel 37:12-14
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8.
Second Reading: Romans 8:8-11
Gospel: John 11:1-45

Reflection Questions

1. In as much detail as possible, describe the reaction of the people who witnessed the raising of Lazarus. How do you think Lazarus felt at the end of this event?

2. How does Jesus’ weeping show us that He really cares about the pain we go through in our daily lives? How has He shown care and compassion for the events of your daily life?

3. If this miracle would have been done during our day, how do you think the media would have covered it? Would raising a dead man convince everyone to believe in Jesus?


Gospel Reflection


Have you ever questioned Jesus’ ability to take care of you, even in tough times? Of all of His miracles, none of them were as dramatic as His resuscitation of the dead man Lazarus. Our Gospel this Sunday takes us into the very heart of this story. Lazarus’ sisters, Martha and Mary, had sent word to Jesus that He was needed in their town of Bethany to help cure the ailing Lazarus. Jesus shows us at the beginning of this story that He fully understands what is going on: Not only is Lazarus sick, but he is going to die. Jesus makes it clear to His disciples that He is not going to rescue Lazarus from death, but is going to use his death as an opportunity to show the glory of God. So Jesus purposely waits two days before He heads off to Bethany. Note His teaching to His disciples on death: Death is not a finality, as it appears to us, but is simply falling ‘asleep’ in God’s eyes, a temporary reality. Jesus makes it clear to us that He holds power over death (‘I am the Resurrection’) and that He performs miracles so that we might believe in Him. If Jesus is so powerful, why do we struggle with handing over to Him the struggles of our daily life? When Jesus finally arrives in Bethany, Lazarus has already died, and Mary, Lazarus’ sister, is distraught. Jesus is overcome with emotion at that time, and the Scriptures tell us that He was ‘deeply troubled’ and began to weep. It seems that Jesus isn’t weeping because Lazarus is dead, but because Lazarus’ friends and family are upset. Jesus then performs His greatest miracle short of His own Resurrection – and Lazarus comes back to life. Lazarus certainly wasn’t faking his death, because Martha is clear on telling us that he had been dead for four days. There is little that people can say at this point, except to believe that Jesus holds the power of death. For all of us today, it is important to realize that Jesus still holds that power. We all have to go through death, and yet Jesus clearly tells us that we have nothing to fear. He is the Resurrection, and will carry us through physical death to eternal life with Him. Does Jesus still need to perform a miracle in your life for you to believe, or can you place your trust in Him completely simply based on the words of Scripture? Many of us have become complacent with Jesus, ignoring Him with how we live our lives. We have forgotten to foster a relationship with Him, and have chosen to live our lives on own our own power, not on His love. Use this Lent as an opportunity to develop a thankfulness for all the Jesus has done for you. If Jesus has the power to resuscitate Lazarus, He has the power to take care of our day-to-day struggles. May we have the grace to let Jesus raise any dead parts of our spiritual lives back to life. Let us ask Him to bring new life in our hearts, and help us to order everything we do to His awesome love.






These reflections come from YM Central