Fresh Dew Media

 5^TH SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR A: REFLECTION BY FR JULIAN EKEH

THEME: THIS ILLNESS IS NOT UNTO DEATH

(John 11:1-45)

Lazarus, the friend of Jesus, was ill. Mary and Martha sent for him with the words: "Lord, he whom you love is ill." But when Jesus heard it, He said: "This illness is not unto death; it is for the glory of God, so that the son of God may be glorified by means of it."

Lazarus died of the sickness. Jesus knew of it. He embarked on the journey to wake him.

On his way, Martha came up to Him and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now, I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you." Jesus assured her: "Your brother will rise again. She believed. Mary acted the same way and said the same things Martha said: if you had been here..."

Jesus wept. He saw where he was laid. He saw the lifelessness in the body that is supposed to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. He saw where His friend was quarantined, He saw those who worshipped Him with joy filled with sorrow and sadness, with tears and bitterness. He commanded, and the stone was taken away. He prayed in faith and cried out, "Lazarus, come out." The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "unbind him and let him go."

 

OUR SICK WORLD AND LAZARUS

Our sick world is like Lazarus. Many are sick, many are suffering, and many have died. The two cases of sickness and death were experienced by Lazarus, the friend of Jesus. Jesus allowed it for a purpose. Is God not aware of all we are facing? He is. Why is he allowing it? We may not have known. But in the end, God must be glorified. Can we cry and become more aware of our need for God this period? Is it actually dawning on us? How we should depend on God? Can we run out of our comfort zones of spiritual lousiness and laziness to kneel at the feet of Jesus for healing and restoration mercy? Mary and Martha did this! They knew Jesus as Lord even of the situation at hand. It became a moment of increased faith, even though Jesus seemed to be away. Situations that genuinely kept Jesus away couldn't stop them from going close to Jesus. The sickness, death, tears, heartbreaks, losses, and disappointments they faced were brought to Jesus. Just like Lazarus, our world is tied hands and feet. Just like Lazarus, we have become helpless, cashless, politically lifeless, and will powerless. Just as Lazarus, we can no longer do much for ourselves. Just like Mary and Martha, we are dumfounded and have no serious solution to offer. Our human life, social life, and religious life are being affected. We now have many questions seeking answers. Like Mary and Martha, therefore, we look up to Jesus. Oh, let's do that with faith. Let's do that with cries for mercy. Let's do that with readiness to start a new life in Christ. Let's listen and hear Jesus tell us: Your world will rise again.

 

WE NEED TO HEAR THE VOICE OF JESUS

The pains and hopeless conditions here and there may be telling you that it is over. Wait in prayers. God has the final say. Your marriage that is not working may appear to be proving to you that it is finished.  It is not finished for you and with you until God says so. God wants your happiness together. The political and economic death of the country may be saying that it is over. God says otherwise. The denial of justice and the sufferings of the innocent for nothing may seem to say that evil has won. God says it is not true. Your personal efforts to survive without much headways may be telling you that you're a failure.  Oh no! God has not said so. You are like one locked up, with no light. Your hopes are almost frustrated.  You have found yourself in a situation where you're tied not to progress. You are cashless, friendless, and lifeless. Don't be hopeless again. From all these, you will come out victorious. God is with us a refuge and strength. Who is tying the young Lazarus? Who is killing the future of the youths? Who is aborting the hope of the people? Wait, you will hear from God.

Dear Child of God, May God command you to come out from that dark, graveyard situation. May God command the situations that have made our families, states, and country look like a graveyard to leave us alone. You will be out.

 

LAZARUS COME OUT!

We shall come out of our quarantine situations

We shall come out of the fear of the evil forces in our world today.

We shall come out of love for sin

We shall come out of the evil hands of oppression and marginalization.

We shall be untied. The evil clothes used in wrapping your destiny shall be removed, the masks shall be pulled off, the prison of cryptocracy and manipulation shall be let loose. Let's look up to the rising that accompanies dying. As you weep in prayers, the Lord weeps to take away your weeping, to unbind you and let you go. You will live again by the power of Christ.

May God bless His word in our hearts.

 

LET US PRAY

We thank You, Father, for assuring us today through Your Son that the various unpleasant situations we encounter presently will not have the final say in our lives. May Jesus the resurrection and the life lift us from our troubles, sickness, and death of body and soul.  May God manifest his glory in the world and restore us all. May we share in the fullness of joy and enjoy the beauty of living through Christ our Lord. Amen

Happy Sunday to you (Fifth Sunday of Lent)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh