Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year A
Ezekiel 37:12-14Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8Romans 8:8-11John 11:1-45 Last weekend, my wife and I decided to move some of our “stuff” to storage. Needless to say, there was much junks, but along with the junks, there was much memories. And I got stuck, remembering the times, good and bad. Sometimes we set out to clean up a mess, but instead we get stuck—stuck in memories, stuck in old habits, stuck in the same patterns. We want to move forward, but something inside us feels like it’s still sitting in the garage, surrounded by clutter we don’t know how to deal with. That’s exactly where today’s readings meet us. Ezekiel: “I will open your graves.” God speaks to a people who feel buried—buried in exile, disappointment, and spiritual exhaustion.And God doesn’t say, “Dig yourselves out.”He says, “I will open your graves.”God takes the first step. Psalm 130: “Out of the depths I cry to you.” This is not a polished prayer.It’s the prayer of someone who’s overwhelmed, someone who can’t pretend everything is fine.Lent invites this kind of honesty. Romans: The Spirit who raised Jesus dwells in you. Paul reminds us that resurrection isn’t just a future event.It’s a present power.The Spirit is already at work in the places where we feel stuck or lifeless. The Gospel: Lazarus And then we come to the great story of Lazarus. Martha and Mary say what many of us have felt:“Lord, if you had been here…”If you had been here, my marriage wouldn’t be struggling.If you had been here, my child wouldn’t be hurting.If you had been here, I wouldn’t feel so anxious, so tired, so alone. Jesus doesn’t scold them.He weeps with them.He enters their grief.And then He does something astonishing:He calls Lazarus by name and brings him out of the tomb. But notice—He asks the people around Lazarus to roll away the stone.He invites them to participate in the miracle. So what does this mean for us? We all have “tombs”: Jesus stands before those places and says,“Take away the stone.”Let Me in.Let Me speak life where you’ve given up hope. Lent is not about proving ourselves to God.It’s about letting God do what only God can do—open graves, breathe life, call us out of darkness. Reflection Questions
Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent (Year A)
Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22Psalm 34:17-18, 19-20, 21 and 23John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 The Just One Under Pressure (Wisdom 2) The Book of Wisdom describes “the just one” who becomes a target simply because he lives with integrity. His goodness exposes the selfishness of others, and instead of being inspired, they feel threatened. So they plot against him. It’s a striking preview of Jesus. And it’s also a mirror for anyone who has ever tried to do the right thing and found that not everyone applauds. The Lord Is Close to the Brokenhearted (Psalm 34) The psalm reassures us that God is near—not when life is easy, but when the heart feels bruised, misunderstood, or worn down.“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.”Not distant. Not indifferent. Close. Jesus Walks Into Hostility (John 7) In the Gospel, Jesus moves quietly because people are seeking to kill him. Yet when the moment comes, he walks into the Temple and speaks openly. He doesn’t run away. He doesn’t hide. He trusts the Father’s timing. His courage isn’t loud or dramatic. It’s steady.It’s the courage of someone who knows he is loved. Connecting It All to Lent Lent is the season when we walk with Jesus into the places that feel uncomfortable—our weaknesses, our fears, our patterns of sin, our relationships that need healing. And sometimes, like my friend with the golden retriever, we feel chased by things we’d rather avoid. But the readings remind us: Lent isn’t about proving our strength.It’s about discovering God’s nearness.
Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
1st Reading: 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16Psalm: Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 292nd Reading: Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22Gospel: Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a There’s a story about a man who bought a brand‑new toolbox. He was so excited that he spent the whole weekend organizing it—sorting the wrenches, polishing the screwdrivers, lining everything up perfectly. On Monday, his neighbor asked, “So, what did you fix with all those tools?”The man paused and said, “Fix? Oh… I didn’t actually fix anything. But my toolbox looks amazing!” Sometimes we love the idea of being prepared more than actually doing the work. We like the appearance of readiness, even if we never pick up the tools. Today, on the feast of St. Joseph, the Church gives us a man who didn’t just look ready—he actually acted when God placed tools in his hands. 1. Joseph acts when God speaks In the Gospel (Matthew 1), Joseph faces a confusing and painful situation. His plans collapse. His expectations crumble. Yet when the angel says, “Do not be afraid,” Joseph doesn’t polish the toolbox of faith—he uses it.He gets up.He takes Mary into his home.He steps into a future he doesn’t fully understand. 2. Joseph trusts God’s promise, like Abraham and David The first reading from 2 Samuel 7 reminds us of God’s promise to David: a kingdom that will last forever. Joseph, a “son of David,” becomes the quiet guardian of that promise. And in Romans 4, Paul praises Abraham’s faith—trusting God even when the path ahead seemed impossible. Joseph stands in that same line of trust. He doesn’t demand clarity. He doesn’t ask for guarantees. He simply believes that God is faithful. 3. Joseph shows us the heart of Lent Lent is not about looking holy—it’s about letting God work in us.It’s not about polishing our spiritual toolbox—it’s about using it. Joseph teaches us: He reminds us that holiness often looks like doing the next right thing, even when it’s small, hidden, or difficult. Most of us have moments when life doesn’t go according to plan: In those moments, we can be tempted to freeze, to overthink, or to cling to our own plans.Joseph shows another way: listen, trust, act. As we continue through Lent, maybe God is placing a “tool” in your hands: Don’t just admire the tool.Pick it up.Use it.Let God build something beautiful through your obedience, just as He did through Joseph.
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent (Year A)
Readings: Isaiah 49:8-15; Psalm 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18; John 5:17-30 A little boy once asked his mom, “If God never forgets anything, does that mean He remembers where I hid my homework?”Without missing a beat, she said, “Oh yes—and He also remembers that you didn’t actually do it.” The boy sighed and said, “Well… I was hoping He’d forget just this once.” We laugh because we know the feeling. There are moments when we hope God forgets something about us—and other moments when we desperately hope He remembers us. Today’s readings speak right into that tension. God Never Forgets You In Isaiah, God says one of the most tender lines in all of Scripture:“Can a mother forget her infant? … Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” This is not God scolding us.This is God reassuring us. Lent can sometimes feel like a season where we’re painfully aware of our shortcomings—our “unfinished homework,” so to speak. But God’s message today is not, “Look how far you’ve fallen,” but rather,“I see you. I remember you. I am with you.” God Lifts the Weary Psalm 145 continues the theme:“The Lord lifts up all who are falling.” Not some.Not the deserving.Not the ones who have everything together. All. If you feel tired, stretched thin, spiritually sluggish, or emotionally worn—this psalm is for you. Lent is not a test of endurance. It is a season where God bends down, picks us up, and carries us forward. The Son Gives Life In the Gospel, Jesus reveals something astonishing:He shares the very life-giving power of the Father. “Just as the Father gives life, so the Son gives life to whomever he wishes.” Jesus is not merely a teacher or a healer.He is the One who restores life where it has faded. Where you feel spiritually flat—He breathes life.Where you feel forgotten—He remembers.Where you feel judged—He offers mercy. Lent is not about proving ourselves to God.It is about letting God do what He does best:lift, restore, and give life. Bringing It Home So back to the little boy and his homework. He was afraid God remembered the wrong thing.But God remembers the right things: And He forgets the right things too: Because His mercy is bigger than your mess. A Simple Lenten Invitation Today, let God remember you.Let Him lift you.Let Him breathe life into the places that feel tired or forgotten. That is the heart of Lent—not punishment, but restoration.
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year A
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031726.cfm Today’s readings give us one of the most powerful images of Lent: God’s desire to bring life where we have grown dry, stuck, or discouraged. In Ezekiel, a tiny trickle of water flows from the Temple. It seems insignificant at first—barely enough to wet your ankles. But as it moves outward, it becomes a river so deep and wide that no one can cross it. And wherever this river flows, everything lives. Trees bear fruit. Salt marshes become fresh. What was dead comes alive again. This is God’s way of showing us that grace often begins small. Renewal doesn’t always start with a dramatic moment. Sometimes it begins with a whisper, a nudge, a small step toward God. Lent is full of these small beginnings. Then we meet the man in the Gospel—thirty‑eight years unable to walk, waiting by the pool of Bethesda. He believes healing is possible, but only in one specific way: “If only I could get into the water.” He’s convinced that the miracle depends on his ability to reach the pool. But Jesus shows him—and us—something different.Healing doesn’t come from the pool.Healing comes from the presence of Christ. Jesus asks him a question that cuts right to the heart:“Do you want to be well?” It’s not a trick question. It’s an invitation.Because wanting to be well means being willing to change.It means letting go of old patterns, old excuses, old fears.It means trusting that God can do something new. And then Jesus speaks the words that define the Gospel:“Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Notice—Jesus doesn’t just heal him.He sends him forward.He gives him a new direction, a new responsibility, a new life. We all have “mats”—places where we’ve been stuck for a long time. And like the man at the pool, we sometimes wait for the “perfect moment” or the “right conditions” to change.But Jesus doesn’t wait for perfect conditions.He meets us exactly where we are and says,“Do you want to be well? Then rise.” Lent is the season when God’s healing river begins to flow again—sometimes as a trickle, sometimes as a flood. But always with the power to bring life. God is not asking us to fix ourselves.God is asking us to let grace move, even if it starts small.To take one step.To rise in one area of our life.To trust that the One who heals us will also walk with us.
Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent – Year A
Friends, today’s readings give us one of the most hopeful messages of the entire Lenten season. In Isaiah, God says, “I am about to create new heavens and a new earth.” Not repair. Not patch. Create. God is promising a future so full of joy that the old sorrows will fade away. This is the heart of Lent: God is not just trying to make us slightly better versions of ourselves. God is trying to make us new. Psalm 30 echoes this promise: “You have turned my mourning into dancing.” The psalmist remembers a time when life felt like a pit—and how God lifted him out. Lent invites us to remember the same: the moments when God carried us, rescued us, or gave us strength we didn’t know we had. And then we come to the Gospel. A royal official comes to Jesus desperate—his son is dying. Jesus simply says, “Go; your son will live.” And here’s the remarkable part:the man believes before he sees.He walks home trusting that Jesus’ word is already at work. That is Lent.Walking in faith before we see the results.Trusting that God is already healing, already renewing, already creating something new within us. We all have places in our lives where we’re waiting for God to act.Maybe it’s a relationship that needs healing.Maybe it’s a child or family member we’re worried about.Maybe it’s a habit or fear we’ve carried for years.Maybe it’s a part of our heart that feels tired or discouraged. Like the royal official, we come to Jesus and say, “Lord, please—do something.”And Jesus says to us, “Go. I am already working. Trust me.” Lent is not about seeing instant results.It’s about taking the next step in faith, believing that God’s grace is already moving beneath the surface. So today, let’s ask for the grace to trust God’s word the way the royal official did.To believe that God is creating something new in us—even if we can’t see it yet.And to walk forward with the quiet confidence that Easter joy is already rising within us. Amen.