Gospel Reflection - John 11:1-45 - March 26, 2023 - Fifth Sunday of Lent

Sunday Mass Readings | March 26, 2023

First Reading

Ez 37:12-14

Thus says the Lord GOD: 

O my people, I will open your graves 

and have you rise from them, 

and bring you back to the land of Israel.

Then you shall know that I am the LORD, 

when I open your graves and have you rise from them, 

O my people!

I will put my spirit in you that you may live, 

and I will settle you upon your land; 

thus you shall know that I am the LORD.

I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm

130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

R. (7) With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;

    LORD, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive

    to my voice in supplication. 

R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,

    LORD, who can stand?

But with you is forgiveness,

    that you may be revered. 

R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

I trust in the LORD;

    my soul trusts in his word.

More than sentinels wait for the dawn,

    let Israel wait for the LORD.

R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

For with the LORD is kindness

    and with him is plenteous redemption;

And he will redeem Israel

    from all their iniquities.

R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Second Reading

Rom 8:8-11

Brothers and sisters:

Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

But you are not in the flesh; 

on the contrary, you are in the spirit, 

if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.

Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

But if Christ is in you, 

although the body is dead because of sin, 

the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, 

the one who raised Christ from the dead 

will give life to your mortal bodies also, 

through his Spirit dwelling in you.

Verse Before the Gospel

Jn 11:25a, 26

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;

whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will never die.

Gospel

Jn 11:1-45

Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, 

the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil 

and dried his feet with her hair; 

it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.

So the sisters sent word to him saying, 

“Master, the one you love is ill.”

When Jesus heard this he said,

“This illness is not to end in death, 

but is for the glory of God, 

that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

So when he heard that he was ill, 

he remained for two days in the place where he was.

Then after this he said to his disciples, 

“Let us go back to Judea.”

The disciples said to him, 

“Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, 

and you want to go back there?”

Jesus answered,

“Are there not twelve hours in a day?

If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, 

because he sees the light of this world.

But if one walks at night, he stumbles, 

because the light is not in him.” 

He said this, and then told them,

“Our friend Lazarus is asleep,

but I am going to awaken him.”

So the disciples said to him,

“Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.”

But Jesus was talking about his death, 

while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep. 

So then Jesus said to them clearly,

“Lazarus has died.

And I am glad for you that I was not there,

that you may believe. 

Let us go to him.”

So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, 

“Let us also go to die with him.”

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus 

had already been in the tomb for four days.

Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.

And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary 

to comfort them about their brother.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,

she went to meet him;

but Mary sat at home.

Martha said to Jesus, 

“Lord, if you had been here,

my brother would not have died.

But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,

God will give you.”

Jesus said to her,

“Your brother will rise.”

Martha said to him,

“I know he will rise,

in the resurrection on the last day.”

Jesus told her,

“I am the resurrection and the life; 

whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, 

and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

Do you believe this?”

She said to him, “Yes, Lord.

I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,

the one who is coming into the world.”

When she had said this, 

she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, 

“The teacher is here and is asking for you.”

As soon as she heard this,

she rose quickly and went to him.

For Jesus had not yet come into the village, 

but was still where Martha had met him.

So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her 

saw Mary get up quickly and go out,

they followed her, 

presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, 

she fell at his feet and said to him, 

“Lord, if you had been here,

my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, 

he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, 

“Where have you laid him?”

They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”

And Jesus wept.

So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”

But some of them said, 

“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man 

have done something so that this man would not have died?”

So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.

It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”

Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, 

“Lord, by now there will be a stench; 

he has been dead for four days.”

Jesus said to her,

“Did I not tell you that if you believe 

you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone.

And Jesus raised his eyes and said,

“Father, I thank you for hearing me.

I know that you always hear me; 

but because of the crowd here I have said this, 

that they may believe that you sent me.”

And when he had said this,

He cried out in a loud voice, 

“Lazarus, come out!”

The dead man came out,

tied hand and foot with burial bands, 

and his face was wrapped in a cloth.

So Jesus said to them,

“Untie him and let him go.”

Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary

and seen what he had done began to believe in him.

OR: 

Jn 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45

The sisters of Lazarus sent word to Jesus, saying, 

“Master, the one you love is ill.”

When Jesus heard this he said,

“This illness is not to end in death, 

but is for the glory of God, 

that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

So when he heard that he was ill, 

he remained for two days in the place where he was.

Then after this he said to his disciples, 

"Let us go back to Judea.”

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus 

had already been in the tomb for four days.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,

she went to meet him; 

but Mary sat at home.

Martha said to Jesus, 

“Lord, if you had been here,

my brother would not have died.

But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,

God will give you.”

Jesus said to her,

“Your brother will rise.”

Martha said,

“I know he will rise,

in the resurrection on the last day.”

Jesus told her,

“I am the resurrection and the life; 

whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, 

and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

Do you believe this?”

She said to him, “Yes, Lord.

I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,

the one who is coming into the world.”

He became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, 

“Where have you laid him?”

They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”

And Jesus wept.

So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”

But some of them said, 

“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man 

have done something so that this man would not have died?”

So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.

It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”

Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, 

“Lord, by now there will be a stench; 

he has been dead for four days.”

Jesus said to her,

“Did I not tell you that if you believe 

you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone.

And Jesus raised his eyes and said, 

“Father, I thank you for hearing me.

I know that you always hear me; 

but because of the crowd here I have said this, 

that they may believe that you sent me.”

And when he had said this,

He cried out in a loud voice, 

“Lazarus, come out!”

The dead man came out,

tied hand and foot with burial bands, 

and his face was wrapped in a cloth.

So Jesus said to them,

“Untie him and let him go.”

Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary

and seen what he had done began to believe in him.

Gospel Reflection

In this passage from John's Gospel, we see Jesus' power and love displayed through the miraculous resurrection of Lazarus. It is a powerful reminder that Jesus is the source of all life and that he has the power to overcome even death.

The story takes place in Bethany, where Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, has fallen ill. When Jesus receives the news, he waits two days before setting out to visit them. By the time he arrives, Lazarus has already died and has been buried for four days. Martha and Mary are distraught, and they both express their faith in Jesus, knowing that he has the power to heal their brother.

As Jesus approaches the tomb, he is overcome with emotion, and he weeps. But then he prays to his Father in heaven and calls out to Lazarus to come out of the tomb. To everyone's amazement, Lazarus rises from the dead and emerges from the tomb, still wrapped in grave clothes.

This miraculous event is a foreshadowing of Jesus' own resurrection, which would soon follow. It is a reminder that death is not the end, and that through Jesus, we have the hope of eternal life.

As Catholics, we are called to place our faith in Jesus and to trust in his power and love. We may face trials and difficulties in our own lives, but we can take comfort in the knowledge that Jesus is with us always, and that he has the power to overcome even the greatest challenges. May we be inspired by this powerful Gospel passage to deepen our faith in Jesus and to trust in him in all things.

Prayer

Dear God,

As we reflect on the events described in John 11:1-45, we are reminded of Your power and love for us. We ask that You grant us the faith of Martha and Mary, who believed in You even in the midst of their grief.

We pray for those who are grieving today and for those who are facing seemingly impossible situations. We ask that You comfort them, be with them, and give them the strength to trust in You.

We also ask that You use this passage to remind us of the importance of listening to Your word and following Your commands. Help us to hear Your voice and follow Your guidance in all aspects of our lives.

Most of all, we thank You for the gift of Your son Jesus, who conquered death and brings us hope for eternal life. May we always trust in Him and strive to live a life that glorifies You.

We lift up this prayer to You, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.