HOMILY OF THE 5TH SUNDAY IN LENT: YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: THE POWER OF GOD
BY: Fr Cyril Unachukwu CCE
Ezek 37:12-14, Rom. 8:8-11, Jn 11:1-45
Death remains one of the greatest obstacles to the realization of human dreams and the maturation of human capacity. In Christ, we discover the limits of the power of death and the infinite superiority of God’s power over death. In the person of Christ, the form of life which death cannot conquer is made available and accessible to us. Friendship with Jesus and Faith in Him brings us in constant contact with this power. May the power of life and the glory of the Resurrection be ignited with us; Amen.
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The miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus from death, recounted by the Gospel Reading (John 11:1-45), remains one of the important high points of Jesus ministry that portrayed the extent of the power of God naturally at work in Him. The family of persons, defined in the Gospel as those Jesus loved, was the immediate beneficiaries of this miraculous intervention. One important dimension of the relationship between Jesus and the family of Mary, Martha and Lazarus goes beyond their friendship. This has to do with the quality of faith they had in Jesus, irrespective of Jesus’ friendly closeness to this family. Martha densely expressed this faith; “if you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, He will grant you.” Hence, beyond the loving friendship that existed between Jesus and the family of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, Jesus also appreciated the quality of faith they have. One is immediately poised to ask some personal question; what is the level of my relationship with God? What is the quality of my faith in God’s power? Am I able to invite and attract Jesus into my life and family? The reality of the power of God around us is always a given, but it takes the power of faith to unleash its merits in the lives of believers; the type of faith that has overcome the hurdles that may negatively constitute setbacks to the maturation of our faith in God. Friendship with Jesus and familiarity could have served such negative purpose for Martha and Mary. But they were able to outgrow that tendency and therewith attracted the miracle within which Christ manifested the divinity in Him and the fact that He has power over death. This power would become most effective and victorious at the scene of the resurrection. Hence, in raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus was very indicative of the Easter Feast saying categorically; “I am the resurrection and the life.”
It is God’s wish for each and everyone of us to become beneficiaries of this power and state of life; to make a personal and collective resurrection experience. It is fundamentally about the new life we have in Christ; but it is also about the relative, positive and transformatory effects of our journey with God. The Prophecy of Ezekiel in the First Reading (Ezekiel 37:12-14) reveals how God wishes us to benefit from this divine gift; “the Lord says this, I am now going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves, my people, and lead you back to the soil of Israel.” But remember, to open our graves and bring us back to life, we must hand over the keys of our respective graves to God. This is done with proactive faith and love. The fear of handing over the keys of graves to God remains one of the greatest obstacles to our personal experience of the resurrection power. Saint Paul recaptured the very content of this fear in the Second Reading (Romans 8:8-11) about “people who are interested only in unspiritual things who can never be pleasing to God.” God wants to save us. Yes! But He also needs our corporation. Handing ourselves over to God and making daily effort to outgrow the lower man never impoverishes us. It rather enriches and makes us whole. It makes us disposed to have a resurrection experience. We can only encounter the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead if we say a firm yes to God and no to our unspiritual self. It is always a journey of self rediscovery and the Season of Lent is always a period to make great progress in this Spiritual Journey.
Heavenly Father, in Christ Jesus, You have manifested Your power over death. Through Your Holy Spirit, may we come to make daily experience of this power especially leading us to rise from every connection with forces of darkness to a communion of life and love with You; Amen. Happy Sunday
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