Fifth Sunday of Lent - Year A
April 2, 2017
Gospel: Ga 11, 1-45
Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village
of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with
perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who
was ill. So the sisters sent word to him saying, "Master, the one you love
is ill." hen Jesus heard this he said, "This illness is not to end in
death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified
(1)
through it." Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he
heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. Then
after this he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." The
disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and
you want to go back there?" Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve
hours in a day? If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he
sees the light of this world. But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because
the light is not in him." He said this, and then told them, "Our
friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him." So the disciples
said to him,
"Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved."
But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant
ordinary sleep. So then Jesus said to them clearly, "Lazarus has died. And
I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to
him." So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let
us also go to die with him."
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already
been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two
miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them
about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet
him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been
here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask
of God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will
rise." Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection
on the last day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the
life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who
lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to
him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son
of God, the one who is coming into the world."
When she had said this, she went and called her sister
Mary secretly, saying, "The teacher is here and is asking for you."
As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and went to him. For Jesus had not
yet come into the village, but was still where Martha had met him. So when the
Jews who were with her in the house comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and
go out, they followed her, presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep
there. When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him,
she fell at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if
you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her
weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed (2)
and deeply troubled, and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said
to him, "Sir, come and see." And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See
how he loved him." But some of them said, "Could not the one who
opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not
have died?"
So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a
cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone."
Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him, "Lord, by now there will be a
stench; he has been dead for four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I
not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?" So they
took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, "Father, I thank
you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd
here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me." And when
he had said this, He cried out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands (3), and his face was wrapped in a
cloth. So Jesus said to them, "Untie him and let him go."
Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen
what he had done began to believe in him.
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The difficult words
(1)To be glorified is to be given honor,
praise, and splendor.
(2)Perturbed
means deeply upset or troubled inside.
(3)Burial bands
were cloths that were used in those days to wrap up the bodies of those who had
died.
This week’s spotlight
“I confess to almighty God”
These are the first words of a prayer we often say at
the beginning of Mass to prepare ourselves to hear the word of God and receive
Holy Communion. This prayer is called the "confiteor" because that's
the first word of it in Latin. In this prayer we recognize that we are sinners
and ask others to pray for us.
Kneeling during the Eucharistic Prayer
Our bodily posture can help to express the feelings we
have inside of us. To kneel during the Eucharistic Prayer is a sign of our
reverence and awe for the great miracle that takes place on the altar - the
changing of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Kneeling is
also a sign of humble prayer in the presence of God.
Reflection
It’s never too late
When Jesus arrived in Bethany, it looked like he was
too late. His friend Lazarus had died, and he had already been in the tomb for
four days. Jesus was filled with sorrow and cried for his friend. But was it
really too late? Jesus commanded them to take away the stone from the cave. He
prayed to his Father, and then raised Lazarus from the dead! There are many
times when things seem hopeless. We still face suffering and death in this
world. The story of Lazarus shows us that Jesus’ love is greater than any of
our problems, stronger even than death! During Lent, we have been battling our
sinfulness and renewing our trust in God’s love. Today’s Gospel strengthens our
hope in eternal life. As Jesus raised Lazarus, he wants to raise us from our
failures and sins, to give us a share in the victory of the cross. Lent isn’t
over yet! It’s not too late for us to draw even closer to the Lord. With God,
it’s never too late.
Discussion questions
1.What happens when Jesus hears about his friend Lazarus?
2.How does Jesus show his love for Martha, Mary, and Lazarus?
3.How does Jesus bring his friend Lazarus back to life?
After
receiving Holy Communion,
you can say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in
communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. It’s
never too late to receive your love and forgiveness. It's never too late to
thank you for your gifts. By the power of this Eucharist, help me to bring hope
to those who suffer. Amen.
This week…
Receiving forgiveness
This week, it is not too late for
you to receive God's forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation. If
you have never received this sacrament before, ask your catechism teacher or
parish Priest about it.
Being born to new life
Easter falls on April 16 this
year. You might have already noticed some signs of new life around you since
spring started.
Maze Puzzle
Source: usccb.org
- Magnifikid - sermons4kids.com – rclblectionary.com
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