Lent 5th Sunday A - Lazarus is Raised

The five Sundays of Lent gives the picture of death and Resurrection in faith and in life.
1. The first two Sundays depict Jesus' own death and resurrection in daily life (Temptation/Desert/Rejection and Transfiguration / Mountain / Belovedness)
2. Then we have three Sundays with three scenarios of death and resurrection:
a. The Samaritan woman (sociological death to become the first missionary) - her faith in Jesus
b. The Blind man (Physical and spiritual death to growth in faith - he recognizes Jesus, the man, Jesus the prophet and then Jesus the Lord - daring missionary to proclaim the healing and the Lord despite threats of ostracism) - his faith
c. Lazarus - Physical death to actual resurrection - belovedness to Mary and Martha and to Jesus - their faith
d. Passion Sunday: Moving from another "mount" (donkey) to "crucify him". Life is a constant journey of baptism to the desert to the transfiguration to simple realities of our daily life and mission and occasional anniversaries and jubilees. That summarizes the Lenten season, I suppose.

-Tony Kayala, c.s.c.

4th Week of Lent, Tuesday, Mar 24th

Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12 / John 5:1-3, 5-16 

Jesus cures a man: The man never gave up hope.

Two frogs accidentally tumbled into a bucket of cream. They thrashed about for an hour, trying to make it up the side of the metal bucket. Exhausted, one of the frogs gasped, “It’s no use!” With that, he gave up and drowned in the cream. The second frog, however, struggled on. He thrashed and thrashed and thrashed about. Then, suddenly, he found himself sitting safely on a lump of butter. It was this kind of perseverance that the man in today’s gospel showed. For 38 years he sought to be cured. He never gave up.

4th Week of Lent, Monday, Mar 23rd

Isaiah 65:17-21 / John 4:43-54

Jesus saves a man’s son: The man trusted Jesus.

Years ago, there was a movie called Quo Vadis. Starring Deborah Kerr, it dealt with the persecution of Christians in ancient Rome. One day after a dangerous filming session, a reporter asked Deborah, “Weren’t you afraid when the lions rushed you in the arena?” Deborah replied, “Not at all! I’d read the script and I knew I’d be rescued.” This is the kind of childlike trust that the royal official had in Jesus’ promise: “Your son will live.”

Lent 4th Week: Mar 23-28

March 23 Monday (St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, Bishop): 

Catholic online video: https://youtu.be/qsbldkd-xSo Jn 4:43-54: 43 After the two days he departed to Galilee. 44 For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast. 46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was a royal official whose son was ill.

Prayer for Migrants

Blessed are You, Lord Jesus Christ.
You crossed every border between Divinity
and humanity to make your home with us.
Help us to welcome you in newcomers, migrants
and refugees.

3rd Week of Lent, Saturday, Mar 21

Hosea 5:15 -6:6 / Luke 18:9-14

 God speaks through Hosea; “I want love, not sacrifice.”

A news reporter was on assignment in Clay, Kentucky, in the 1960s. A black woman, named Gordon, was going to try to enroll her two children in an all-white school. On Sunday the reporter stopped in at the local white church, where worship was in full swing. The congregation was praying mightily and singing lustily. After the service one of the pillars of the white church talked to the reporter. He told the newsman that he would rather have his taxes tripled to pay for separate schools than have the races mixed in the same school.

3rd Week of Lent, Friday, Mar 20

Hosea 14:2-10 / Mark 12:28-34 

God speaks through Hosea: Return to the Lord!

Father Malachi’s Miracle by Bruce Marshall has a moving scene of a priest trying to help a dying sailor make a good confession. The trouble is the sailor says he’s honestly not sorry for his many affairs in many ports. They are his only pleasant memories of an otherwise difficult life. Finally, in desperation, the priest says to the old sailor, “Are you sorry, at least, that you’re not sorry?” Sometimes it’s also hard for us to realize how badly we’ve failed God in our lives. As a result, we don’t feel repentant or any need to “return to the Lord.” If and when this happens to us, we should at least tell God we’re sorry that we aren’t sorry for our failure.