Fifth Sunday of Lent. Year A - Sunday, March 26, 2023
(EPISODE: 412)
FIRST READING: Ezekiel 37:12-14
Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8. "With the Lord, there is mercy and fullness of redemption."
SECOND READING: Romans 8:8-11
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 11:25a+26). Glory and Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ! I am the Resurrection and the life, says the Lord. Whoever believes in me will not die forever.
GOSPEL: John 11:1-45 - Raising Lazarus
Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Photo ID: 85594159 - Milan - the resurrection of Lazarus from San Giorgio church - Photo Contributor: Renata Sedmakova
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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers, and reflections for the Fifth Sunday of Lent. Year A - Sunday, March 26, 2023, by clicking this link here https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ep-412-lent-5-2a-2023/s-fZKpYLR4TjT (EPISODE: 412)
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I am the resurrection, says the Lord in today's wonderful gospel. This is such a beautiful and important scripture passage today. Our Lord assures us that he has the power and the intention to raise us to eternal life, to call us out of the grave and into the new life of the Kingdom. This powerful scene of Jesus raising his friend Lazarus shows many things. He feels deeply for us in our loss; even at the same time, he is certain that he will call us into eternal life- but he still shares the pain of loss with us. He also reminds us that, as well as the promise of the bodily resurrection on the last day, we can be caught in many symbolic tombs during our living years. We can be stuck in e darkness of attitudes, actions and thoughts that are not life-giving. We can get bound up with cares and ambitions that wrap us in the things of death and not new life. Our Lord has the power to call us out of the tombs and darkness and enmeshment of this life and the ultimate call to eternal life. Let us trust in this promise and follow Christ into the light of his new life for us.
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(The following are a couple of sections from the poem entitled).
LAZARUS. (John 11:1-53) (Written by Dan Doyle).
"If only his friend had been here,
He would not have died,"
We say to one another.
If only…If only…
Is our desperate prayer.
II
"Rabbi, If you had been here
my brother would not have died."
"Martha, he will rise again."
"Yes, I know this, Rabbi. At the Resurrection."
"I am the one who raises the dead. Do you believe me, Martha?"
"Yes, Master. Oh, yes, I believe.
I know you and with all my heart
I believe in you."
Then, Jesus wept.
…. In the days that followed,
we talked excitedly about this miracle
that we had all been witness to.
And, still, many could not believe
in their weary and frightened hearts
that this son of an old carpenter from Nazareth,
this wandering rabbi, Jesus,
might be the one we have been waiting for
since the time of Moses and the prophets.
But some of us knew that this Jesus,
who had come so gently,
yet so powerfully among us,
was, indeed, the Messiah of God
and we began to tell everyone we met
what we had seen him do for Lazarus, our friend.
Lazarus lived on for many years
and never tired of telling the story.
In hushed and awe-filled tones.
And we never tired of listening.
Lazarus was a man of gentle knowledge,
of abiding faith, and of quiet strength.
He told us over and over again
that we were loved by one
who knows our hearts, and who
despises not our petitions,
and that we would never be alone.
We began going to the synagogue differently.
We listened to the words the Rabbi read
from the ancient prophets more closely
and we were moved in our hearts and minds.
At long last, Lazarus died
and we wept for sorrow again.
But we knew in our depths
that he was not dead,
that the Resurrection
promised by the prophets is real,
that death no longer holds sway
over our simple lives,
and that we will see each other again
in the world to come. Amen
Jesus said a lot of words to people in his ministry… (Words perfectly formed, completely based on truth, and backed up by action). Sometimes the things he said challenged the faith of those with him……Other times, it healed and uplifted people, forgave them, and included them in a way they never could have imagined.
In today's gospel, Jesus talks to them about God having the final say on suffering and death. / Jesus is powerfully SHOWING that HE DOES CARE…. HE DOES LOVE US… It profoundly matters WHEN PEOPLE SUFFER, GRIEVE, DIE… OR FEEL TRAPPED BY THEIR PAST SINS or MISTAKES….. HE CRIES WITH US….. not because he feels helpless and can do nothing… he can do so much… he cries in union with us… because he feels and experiences along with us. HE SIGHS FROM THE HEART FOR US… AND HE SPEAKS WORDS OF CHANGE…
BE HEALED
BE FORGIVEN
BE FREED….
I AM the resurrection and the life. ….
Some other very special words have a powerful effect because they are so intimately connected with Jesus' life, attitudes and actions// His message, and the perfectly consistent qualities about himself are a perfect union. ….
These words are powerful, For the Spirit hovering over them fills them with resonance and effectiveness.
Words such as:
"Your sins are forgiven"
"Your debt is cancelled"
"Be Opened"
"BE freed FROM YOUR BURDENS"
"Unbind him…. set him free!"
"This is my body broken for you…..
This is my blood poured out for you "
I love these words…. I know you do too…… They fill us with hope… But more than that… they immediately begin achieving what they say…….
No wonder the church believes so powerfully in reality and the effectiveness of the Sacraments – where we touch, taste, smell, hear and see the action of Our Lord – connected to his ministry and mission – made present to us in every age.
Surely only Divine love can truly fill us with the fullness of life again….……and call us to life eternal. Drawn near, embraced…., healed, forgiven, included…. Always LOVED.
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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
Doyle, D. (2020). This Poem Gives Such A Great Perspective On How Powerful and Yet Tender Our Lord Is! [online] FaithHub. Available at: https://faithhub.net/dan-doyle-lazarus-poem/ [Accessed 7 Feb. 2020].
References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Photo ID: 85594159 - Milan - the resurrection of Lazarus from San Giorgio church - Photo Contributor: Renata Sedmakova
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Fifth Sunday of Lent. Year A (Sunday, March 26, 2023) (EPISODE: 412)
The Lord be with you.
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{{May Our Lord's courage uphold you.}} welcome everyone, we gather - Praise and Worship of our God.
Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins and prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
Lord Jesus, you have revealed yourself as the way to the Father: Lord, have mercy
You have poured out on your people the Spirit of truth: Christ, have mercy
You are the Good Shepherd, leading us to eternal life: Lord, have mercy.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
1. We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.
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Ps 126:1-2a, 2b-3, 4-5, 6. "The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy."
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Joel 2:12-13). Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, king of endless Glory. With all your heart, turn to me. For I am tender and compassionate.
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PREFACE: Sundays Ordinary II
Euch Prayer One
Communion side. pwk: LH
(theme variation: )
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{Thank you for giving generously of your time and prayer.}
Go in peace.(glorifying the Lord by your life)
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
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Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly
Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)
Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)
"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.
Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993). (Sydney Australia).
"Quiet Time." Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.
Lenten Hymn: "Have Mercy" inspired by Psalm 50(51). Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2020.
Sound Engineering and editing - P.W. Kelly.
Microphones: - Sennheiser MK4 Cardioid Condenser; and Shure Motiv MV5 Digital Condenser.
Editing equipment: NCH software - MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software
NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 12.44
Sound Processing: iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor
[ Production - KER - 2023]
May God bless and keep you.
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