5th Sunday of Lent

Homily for the 3^rdScrutiny:

Today we celebrate the 3^rdscrutiny for the members of our RCIA.  If you remember back, the first scrutiny focused on thirst and how Christ gives the living water.  The second scrutiny focused on the man born blind, and how we have been given the spiritual sight of faith.  Today focuses on life.  Lazarus was dead.  But, now he lives.  Each of us has experienced the death of sin.  But, through the power of Christ, he has opened up the way to eternal life. Lazarus’ raising was only temporary. But, we believe that Christ will raise us up to eternal life.  

Have you ever wondered why death feels so bad?  Why does it bring us pain to see people we love go through suffering and death?  In some ways, dying is just a part of life.  Each of us was born and each of us will die.  Nothing is certain in this life except death and taxes right (and right now most of us are pretty aware of our taxes being due next week).  And yet, if death is certain, why should it be painful?  

The Christian answer to this problem of the pain associated with death is that death is not natural.  God did not create us to die.  Rather, he made us to live.  Death only enters the story of the human race after the fall of Adam and Eve.  Death is a byproduct of human sinfulness. Therefore, when we experience death, deep down, we know that something is wrong.  

Jesus came to right that wrong.  God loved us so much that he did not simply leave us to our own punishment. Rather, he sent Christ to raise up the fallen.  Death is the worst enemy of the human race, but Christ has conquered that enemy for us. 

Yet, each of us lives in this weird “in-between” time.  We profess that Christ is the victor over sin and death and that all those who believe in him will live forever.  And yet, we still suffer, we still mourn when someone dies.  But, Christ is even close to us in this pain as well.  My favorite line in the gospel of John: and Jesus wept.  He came to bring us life.  He did that on the cross.  But, even now, he is with us in the midst of our pain and suffering.  

Today’s gospel teaches us two important lessons.  First, Christ has the power to raise the dead.  This gives us hope for ourselves and our loved ones who have died.  This gospel also teaches us that Christ is close to us, especially when we are suffering. So, we turn to him in our toughest times, for the Lord is never far from us.