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
Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year A
Laetare Sunday — “Rejoice!” Friends, today the Church pauses in the middle of Lent and whispers a word we might not expect in a season of penance: Laetare — Rejoice.Not because Lent is over. Not because the cross has disappeared.But because God is already at work, even before we reach Easter morning. Laetare Sunday is like standing on a hill halfway through a long journey. We turn around and see how far we’ve come. We look ahead and see where God is leading us. And for a moment, we breathe, we smile, and we remember that grace is already breaking through. And today’s readings are all about seeing differently. 1. God sees the heart — not the surface In the first reading, Samuel is sent to anoint a new king. He sees Jesse’s strong, impressive sons and thinks, “Surely this must be the one.”But God says something that cuts right through our human habits: “Not as man sees does God see.Man sees the appearance, but the Lord looks into the heart.” How often do we get stuck on appearances?We size people up by their job, their clothes, their mistakes, their politics, their past.We do it to ourselves too — we judge our worth by our successes or failures. But God sees deeper.He sees the hidden goodness, the quiet faithfulness, the potential we don’t even recognize in ourselves.David, the youngest and least impressive, is the one God chooses. Lent is a time to let God adjust our vision — to help us see ourselves and others with His eyes. 2. “The Lord is my shepherd” — even in the valleys Psalm 23 is a psalm of trust.It doesn’t pretend life is easy. It speaks of dark valleys, enemies, fear.But it also says: “You are with me.” Some of us are walking through valleys right now: Laetare Sunday reminds us:God is shepherding you even now.You are not walking alone. 3. “You were once darkness, but now you are light” St. Paul tells the Ephesians — and us — that faith is not just about believing something new.It’s about becoming something new. “You were once darkness,but now you are light in the Lord.” Not “you were in darkness,” but you were darkness.And now, through Christ, you are light. Lent is not about beating ourselves up.It’s about letting Christ awaken what is good, holy, and radiant within us. 4. The man born blind — a journey from darkness to sight And then we come to the Gospel — the long, beautiful story of the man born blind. Notice something:The man doesn’t just receive physical sight.He receives spiritual sight. At first he calls Jesus “the man.”Then “a prophet.”Then “from God.”And finally, he kneels before Jesus and says, “Lord, I believe.” Meanwhile, the Pharisees — who claim to see — become more and more blind. The Gospel asks each of us:Where am I blind?Where is Jesus trying to open my eyes? Maybe it’s a habit I excuse.Maybe it’s a person I refuse to forgive.Maybe it’s a truth I avoid.Maybe it’s a part of myself I don’t want God to touch. Jesus doesn’t shame the blind man.He heals him.And He wants to do the same for us. 5. Laetare: Joy in the middle of the journey So why rejoice today? Because God is already working in the places we feel stuck.Because grace is already unfolding in ways we cannot yet see.Because the light is already breaking through the cracks of our darkness. Laetare Sunday invites us to notice the small signs of God’s presence: These are Easter seeds already sprouting in the soil of Lent. 6. A final image Imagine Jesus standing before you today, just as He stood before the man born blind.He looks at you with tenderness and says:“Do you want to see?” Not just with your eyes, but with your heart.Not just the world around you, but the truth of who you are in God’s eyes. Let Him touch your blindness.Let Him shepherd your fears.Let Him lead you from darkness into light. And in the middle of Lent, let your heart rejoice —because God is already doing something new. Amen.