Fifth Sunday of Lent
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March 29, 2020Today’s Gospel has some provoking thoughts of who we are in relationship to Jesus. There are several characters in the Gospel. Let's look very briefly at the characters and which one we best identify with?
When Jesus says they will go back to Judea to see Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary, the apostles think Jesus is crazy. They say that the Jews there were just trying to kill you and you want to go back? Basically, asking Jesus, ‘What is wrong with you?’ They failed to understand that Jesus would do anything out of love for others. They failed to realize that the danger of death is of no concern when it comes to showing love. They failed to understand Jesus’ power over death. They failed to absorb His teaching that love takes precedent over all things in life. The love for all others is more important than any concern, hardship, or danger you may be in.
- Are we like these disciples? Do we avoid situations due to it being hard, uncomfortable, or dangerous? Do we avoid showing love and have self-preservation first?
- Or does it sort of begin to sink in like Thomas who is willing, or at least has that initial feeling, to go with Jesus even to death? Are we enthusiastic to go with or be with others in their hardships of life?
- Another character is Martha, who, in a previous story, was busy getting food and hospitality ready when Jesus came to visit while Mary sat with Him and listened to Him. Martha is running to Jesus to cry, to bring her hurts and pains to Him, while Mary does the opposite and sits at home and sulks. Mary only comes to Jesus after Martha comes to get her. Do we run to Jesus with all our problems, with total confidence? For comfort? For help?
- Are we like Mary? Do we sulk in our heartaches and problems and want to be pulled out of them? Do we just sit and wait for Jesus to come to us, and forget the trust we once had in Him? Do we take the initiative to help others to come to Jesus as Martha now helped Mary to come to Jesus?
- Are we like Lazarus? There are many tombs in our life, darkness’s, problems, sadness, sins. Things that make life dark and hard and lonely. Jesus can bring us out of all of them, like He did for Lazarus? Martha says that Lazarus is the one Jesus loved, meaning Lazarus had such a deep relationship with Jesus that the love was evident. Do we have the love Lazarus had? A love in a relationship with Jesus that He will pull us out of everything in our life, darkens, problems and sins?
In the early Church, this story was associated with the forgiveness of sins. Do we have a relationship with Jesus deep enough to know He will raise us out of our sins? Do we trust that Jesus defeats sin and therefore defeats death?
Jesus comes to us in our fear (apostles), in our heartaches and our self-focus (Mary), He comes to us in our trust (Martha) and He comes to us in all the darkness’s in our life (Lazarus). We must only allow Him to touch our hearts and minds and souls. When we do, then it is Easter in every instance of our life, until we arrive at the eternal Easter in Heaven.
During the Coronavirus times, we can easily feel like the apostles who were afraid or like Mary sulking in our loneliness and sadness.
We must be like Martha, and run to Jesus in Faith, and let us comfort us, and pull us out of this darkness.
