Sunday, April 7, 2019

Fifth Sunday of Lent - April 7, 2019

The Resurrection and the Life

While most of you this Sunday will be hearing the story of the woman caught in adultery, those at the 10:00 a.m. Mass at Holy Trinity will be hearing the gospel about Lazarus.  After Jesus delays his visit long enough for Lazarus to die, we twice hear the protest, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Hear the ache in the sisters’ hearts! They grieve the death of their brother. They know that Jesus—already famous for his healing miracles—could have saved Lazarus, but he didn’t. Maybe God did impressive things in times past, but when it really counts for Mary and Martha, God appears to have failed them.

Is theirs also your story? Does your heart protest against God? Perhaps you lost a beloved friend or relative to premature death. Perhaps you or a loved one suffer from sickness or disability. Maybe you face a seemingly unrecoverable loss, and now in your heart of hearts, you suspect God failed you. If so, you’re in good company, for Martha and Mary felt the same way.

But Jesus is more than just a miracle worker. God is doing more than just twiddling his thumbs while he waits around for the Last Day. God has come to us in Jesus, and Jesus has revealed himself as “the resurrection and the life”: He is the Resurrection and therefore the promise of life after death, but he is also the Life of God already, beginning now, even before death, and never dying. Those who live in Christ may die according to the flesh, as Jesus did, but they never really die in the Spirit: Life in Christ is life forever.

Martha and Mary discover that they and their brother Lazarus were all alive in Christ. Like them we discover and trust that our worldly failures are nothing compared to the Lord’s power to vindicate us. All that you think you missed in this life, all you think you were deprived of, all you could possibly hope for—and much, much more—is fulfilled in Christ and given to you through him.

I’ll be away this week. From time to time I help other dioceses with the development of their clergy and other ministers, and this week I make my debut in the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Next Sunday is (Palm) Sunday of the Passion of the Lord. In some of our churches it was customary for the assembly to share in the reading of the Passion narrative by reciting those lines presented as quotes of multiple speakers. This year, I’m changing that custom, and instead asking just the clergy and liturgical readers to proclaim the Passion. So please participate simply by listening attentively and devoutly: Hear in the spoken word the story of Jesus’ fulfillment of God’s will and your salvation in him.
Last week I received some complaints and suggestions for the confessionals at St. Malachy Church. Unfortunately, I don’t fully understand the complaints, and they’re anonymous, so I can’t check with the plaintiffs. All this to say: As a matter of policy, I don’t usually respond to anonymous messages, and it’s best to identify yourself and provide contact information if you have complaints or suggestions.
                                                                                                                                    —Fr. Dave