5TH SUNDAY HOMILY OF LENT: YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: THE HOLY SPIRIT AS THE AGENT OF FREEDOM AND RESURRECTION
BY: Fr. Isaac Awe
Ezek 37:12-14, Rom. 8:8-11, Jn 11:1-45
Dear friends in Christ, starting from last Sunday which was Laetare Sunday in which we were told to rejoice because we are closer to our salvation. It’s not a gainsaying that even though we are moving gradually to the passion of out Lord Jesus Christ, we are also embracing divine relief in which our pains are going to be replaced with gains. Ours is to be patient because our pain is preparing us for our gain.
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The three readings for today’s liturgy have a common theme “RESURRECTION”. In the prophecy of Ezekiel, the release of the Jews from the captivity and slavery of Babylon is described as a rising from their graves to return to a new life in their own homeland. This is a metaphor, a type of the true resurrection which will come later. In the gospel reading, we have the story of the raising of Jesus’ friend Lazarus(God is my help) from the tomb, which proves the power Jesus had of raising the dead. St Paul in today’s second reading instructed the Roman Christians which have a direct reference to the future resurrection to a life of unending glory for all those who during their time on earth, were “LOYAL” to God and Christ
“I will put my spirit in you and you will live”(Ezekiel 37:14)
Without the Holy Spirit, God is far away, Christ stays in the past, the gospel is a dead letter, the church is simply an organization, authority a matter of domination, mission a matter of propaganda, liturgy no more than evocation, Christian living a slave morality.(An Orthodox Bishop) Hence, no Christian can live a fulfil and fruitful life without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit resurrects the dead and dry bones and brings them to life.
It is true that the essence of the coming of Christ is to give us life (John 10:10) but what sustain the life is the Holy spirit under which we are equipped with the needed implements to fight the battles of faith and choose what is right in accordance with the will of God( Knowledge, wisdom, understanding, counsel, piety, fortitude and fear of the lord) . Possessing these gifts of the Holy Spirit is possessing meaningful life and not just life. To live a meaningful and impactful life led to Jesus’ promise saying, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you,” ( John 14:18). Spoken during the Last Supper, this verse assures disciples and believers that although Jesus is physically departing, He will send the Holy Spirit to dwell within them, providing permanent presence, comfort, and guidance. Hence, God is seeing as the protector of the fatherless (Deuteronomy 10:18)
What is the significance of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead? It is more than a miraculous event. It is a “sign” of God’s promise to raise up all who have died in Christ to everlasting life. That is why Jesus asked Martha if she believed in the resurrection from the dead. The Christian creed, which is the profession of our faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and in the saving power of God, culminates in the proclamation of the resurrection of the dead on the last day and in life everlasting. This is our faith and our hope. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you” (Romans 8:11). God gives us the power of his Holy Spirit that we may be made alive in Christ.
The name Lazarus means “God is my help”. Through Lazarus’ sickness and subsequent death, God brought glory through Jesus his only begotten Son, who raised his friend from the dead in anticipation of his own death and resurrection. Our participation in the Lord’s Supper in the Eucharist already gives us a foretaste of Jesus’ transfiguration of our bodies.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, you have ransomed us with your blood and restored us to life with the Father in heaven. May your resurrection be our hope as we long for the day when we will see you face to face in glory. Amen
Happy Sunday!
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