Lent-5 A

Lazarus...come out (Lent-5) 

Once an older lady knew that she was about to die and here asked her pastor to give her the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. After being anointed she said, "Soon I will be rocking in the bosom of Moses". "No my friend" corrected the pastor, "the bible says the bosom of Abraham". She replied, "Father, at my age, you don't care too much whose bosom it is". 

A man was so surprised to read the announcement of his own death in the obituary column of the local newspaper. Calling his close friend he said, ' Did you see the announcement of my death in the paper this morning?' The friends who was so frightened hearing his friend's voice said, "But where are you speaking from? Heaven or hell?" 

In today's gospel, we meet with three characters namely the disciples of Christ, Martha and Mary. 

We meet with the apostles:  

Once a preacher visited a home of an elderly parishioner and over a cup of coffee, he was answering some of the questions that grandma was putting him. 

She said, "Father, why does the Lord send us natural disasters and calamities every so often?" 

The priest said, "Well, sometimes people become so wicked they have to be removed and that’s why the Good Lord allows disasters and calamities". But the woman said, "then why do so many good people get removed with the bad?' 

"The good ones are summoned for witnesses." And the Lord wants to give every soul a fair trial".  

It's we who don't understand the doing of God and everything that God created has an order and rhythm. Everything continues its function according to His divine design.  

In today's gospel, we see how the disciples struggled to understand what Christ was saying to them. And that is why they tried to stop Christ from going to Bethany in Judea saying, "A short while ago, the Jews tried to stone and kill you and why do you want to go there again". When Jesus said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep". They replied saying, "If he sleeps, he will get better". And then Jesus opened their minds and hearts saying, "Lazarus is dead and I am happy for your sake that I was not there so that you may believe". 

   God's plan is not human design. As we immerse ourselves in prayer, God's design will be revealed to us. 

We then meet with Martha:  

There is a beautiful story about the scientist Isaac Newton who spent almost eight years to write an important book which was destroyed by his pet dog diamond. He wasn't angry at his dog instead he said, "Diamond, you didn't know what you did and then he stared write all over again".  Patience is a virtue and those who wait reap the reward. Once a man prayed to God saying, "Please God, give me patience but give it to me now....right now". 

Martha was not patient enough and wanted everything to happen in her own time and that is why, as Christ our Lord was coming, she went and met him saying, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would have died and even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him". Jesus said, "Your brother will rise again".  

She right away answers saying, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day". And Christ says,, "I am the resurrection and the life". Whoever believes in me, even though they die, will live and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die".  

Patience is a virtue and it can be known through prayer and fasting. 

Then we meet with Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus 

There is an old story tells of an angel who met a man carrying a heavy bag and asked what was in it. The man said, "My worries". The angel said, "Let me see them". And when he opened it, that was empty. The man was astonished and said that he had two great worries. One was yesterday which now became past and the other of tomorrow which had not yet arrived. The angel told him that he needed no bag and he gladly threw it away. 

When Martha went to see Jesus, Mary stayed behind and she was clearly discouraged. And Christ himself was looking for her. That itself gave her hope and let her worries go and witnessed the great miracle of her brother Lazarus coming out of the tomb. 

We are all worried and confused when things do not go according to our way of thinking and designing but God has a plan and God who sent His son Christ will never abandon us and God who created us in His own hands, will not forsake us. Let us  put our trust in Him and find meaning for our very existence. 

Conclusion: When Christ called out Lazarus, he came out and Christ is still today calling us to come out of our doubts, fear, hopelessness and challenges... as we come out, there we are going to witness Christ Himself is waiting for us. Let us come out of our selfishness and bring hope to all. Amen.