The Lord's Promise, Ez. 37:12-14
Indwelling of Christ's Spirit, Rom. 8:8-11
Raising of Lazarus, John 11:1-45
Reflection
There is an underlying theme throughout each of our readings today: God’s Spirit creates, sustains, and reanimates life within us, both in body and spirit. Apart from God there is no life. Jesus the Christ faithfully witnessed to this in his raising Lazarus from the dead.
It is so simple a principle and yet so very powerful: in God, we have life; without God, we are dead.
I believe a reflective person will note that there is always some part of our existence that is dead or dying. Often, we can sense death in our family relationships, in our vocational life, and sometimes in the life of our communities. I think one of the most powerful experiences of death, outside of physical death, is in the dying of a love relationship – when we wake up one morning and realize we are no longer in love with that person of significance.
And yet, we are told, in God, we have life.
How shall we respond to such a simple message? Take a moment and reflect: do you invite God into your daily life? Into that part of your life which you believe is dying or is dead. At home, at work, at school, at play, at church?
Mary and Martha invited Jesus, invited God, to that which was dying in their life, Lazarus. They had been around Jesus long enough to know he had the power to heal their brother.
So, why do we not invite God into that which is dying in our existence?
Do we lack trust in God’s goodness? As faithful Christians, probably not, but we might misunderstand God’s plan for us. I imagine that the disciples might have been confused by or misinterpret Jesus’ delay of his trip for two days.
The Gospel tells us, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when [Jesus] heard that [Lazarus] was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was.” The word, “so”, changes the whole meaning of our Lord’s delay. He delayed because he loved them.
In all of the miracle stories found in the Gospel of John, Jesus never responds to the person’s request immediately, not even to his mother’s request at the wedding feast. What must come first is not JUST compassion, love for our neighbor, but the glory of God. All of Jesus’ actions in the Gospel of John are to the glory of God – to witness God’s power – and through that witness of God’s power, brings new life into creation, into our souls, and into our bodies. God’s glory first and then our need, which is still vitally important to God, comes second.
Here, in the story of Lazarus, the greatest act of love is not just reanimating Lazarus from the dead because of his family’s mourning or even Jesus’ personal grief, but the greatest act of love was to show that God has the very power to do so and invites us to believe and trust in Him.
Sometimes, what gets in the way of us inviting God into our lives, is that we become too attached to what we believe is good for our lives.
The disciples are a witness to this principle. Jesus says, “let us go back to Judea” where Lazarus is buried and the disciples replied, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?” Here, the disciples, with all good intentions, try to dissuade Jesus from going to the place where God’s glory is to be manifested.
Not all adversity in our life is evil. Sometimes, God calls us to face adversities greater than we believe we can handle, even physical death, because through them God witnesses his power and love to those around us. The Christian martyrs of the Church witness God’s love even in their death. Often times, we fail to aid God in his glory when we break away from a work relationship, a family relationship, or a church relationship because there is too much adversity…too many problems… found in statements like “I don’t get paid enough to deal with that” or “you’re not worth my effort anymore” and, like the disciples, we justify it with, “Oh’, they’ll be okay. Don’t worry about it.”
Saint Paul points to a similar principle that prevents us from inviting God into our lives, that is, sometimes, we just fail to remember to invite God into our lives because we can become too busy satisfying our animalistic desires instead of responding to God’s divine presence placed in our souls through the Word and Sacraments of God.
I believe we all seek greater life, believer and unbeliever alike. But not every path leads to new life. When we search for greater life ONLY through creation – dainty foods, fancy drinks, changing social life, more money, new property, new experiences – we discover that more and more is required to satisfy us. Yet a human life filled with the Spirit of God has fullness of life regardless of the circumstances they find in themselves.
Are we seeking life in that which cannot create or sustain life within us? Have we forgotten that God is the author and giver of life?
I believe, often times, we suffer because we place limitations on God. Martha and Mary wept. Although they believed Jesus could heal their brother when he was alive, although they believed their brother would rise during the resurrection on the last day, they did not expect that God would raise their brother up on the day Jesus arrived in Judea. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, by now there will be a stench.” Jesus had to remind her and all that were surrounding them, “I am the resurrection and the life…” and “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God.”
The end of the story, Jesus prays to the Father. In that prayer, he states, “I know that you always hear me; but because of this crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” Jesus, as part of the Trinity, as light from light, God from God, could have raised Lazarus from the dead without prayer. Yet, here he models for us our need to invite God into our lives in order that God might restore new life within us.
In conclusion, do you invite God into your daily life? As the offering gifts are being brought forward today, what part of your life that is dying or is dead will you bring to God? For if God, through his divine presence, can make living body and living blood from inanimate bread and wine; how much more can God bring new life into our very souls, our very bodies, and our very lives.
