HOMILY: 5th Sunday of Lent – Year A Theme: “Come Out!” – Christ the Resurrection and the Life First Reading: Ezekiel 37:12–14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 130 Second Reading: Romans 8:8–11 Gospel: John 11:11–45
5th Sunday of Lent – Year A
Theme: “Come Out!” – Christ the Resurrection and the Life
First
Reading: Ezekiel 37:12–14
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 130
Second Reading: Romans 8:8–11
Gospel: John 11:11–45
1. Introduction
My dear
brothers and sisters in Christ,
As we approach Holy Week, the Church places
before us not a small miracle or a symbolic act, but a confrontation with death
itself.
In today’s
Gospel, Lazarus is not sick.
He is not unconscious.
He is not dying.
He is dead.
Four days in the tomb.
The stone is sealed.
Hope is buried.
And into
that sealed darkness, Jesus cries out:
“Lazarus,
come out!”
Today’s
Gospel is not just about Lazarus.
It is about every one of us.
Because
every human heart knows what it means to feel buried.
2. The Cry of the Human Heart
What is the
hidden cry of our people today?
Many are
alive outwardly — but feel dead inwardly.
- A marriage that feels lifeless.
- A prayer life that feels dry.
- A faith that feels weak.
- A heart burdened by guilt.
- A habit that refuses to change.
Some are
silently saying:
“It is too
late for me.”
“Nothing will change.”
“I have tried and failed.”
That was
Martha’s cry:
“Lord, if
You had been here…”
How many
times have we said that in our hearts?
“Lord, if
You had answered earlier…”
“Lord, if You had prevented this…”
Today,
Jesus answers that cry.
3. The Message of Today’s Readings
(1) First Reading – Ezekiel 37
Israel is
in exile. Jerusalem destroyed. Temple burned. They say:
“Our bones
are dried up. Our hope is lost.”
They feel
finished.
And God
says:
“I will
open your graves.”
Notice: God
does not say, “Try harder.”
He says, “I will act.”
Resurrection
begins with God.
St. Jerome
once said:
“Despair is
the devil’s greatest weapon.”
Exile had
produced despair.
But God promises restoration.
Some people
today are living in exile — not from a country, but from joy, from peace, from
faith.
God says to
them:
“I will
open your grave.”
Not maybe.
Not if you deserve.
But I will.
(2) Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 130
“Out of the
depths I cry to You, O Lord.”
This is not
a polite prayer.
This is the cry of someone drowning.
“If You
mark iniquities, who can stand?”
The Psalm
teaches humility.
But then
comes hope:
“With the
Lord there is mercy.”
Not
punishment first — mercy first.
St.
Augustine said:
“The tears
of repentance are the wine of angels.”
When we cry
from the depths, God does not ignore us.
He listens.
(3) Second Reading – Romans 8
St. Paul
tells us something powerful:
“The Spirit
of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you.”
Dwells in
you.
The same
Spirit that raised Christ
is not far away —
He lives within the baptized.
That means
resurrection is not only for the future.
It begins
now.
When:
- A sinner repents,
- A proud heart humbles itself,
- A person forgives,
- A habit begins to break,
Resurrection
is happening.
St.
Athanasius said:
“The Son of
God became man so that we might share in His divine life.”
That life
begins in the Spirit.
(4) Gospel – John 11
This is the
climax of Jesus’ public ministry.
Let us
enter the scene.
Jesus
delays.
Why?
St. John
Chrysostom explains:
“He allowed
death so that His power would be unmistakable.”
Sometimes
God delays not to deny, but to deepen faith.
Then Jesus
says:
“I am the
Resurrection and the Life.”
Not “I will
give resurrection.”
“I AM.”
Resurrection
is not just an event.
It is a Person.
Then the
shortest verse:
“Jesus
wept.”
St. Thomas
Aquinas said:
“He wept to
show He is truly human; He raised Lazarus to show He is truly God.”
Our God is
not distant from suffering.
He stands
before tombs and weeps.
Then comes
the command:
“Take away
the stone.”
Jesus could
have removed it.
But He asks
others to cooperate.
Grace
requires participation.
And then:
“Lazarus,
come out!”
St.
Augustine beautifully said:
“If He had
not named Lazarus, all the dead would have risen.”
His voice
has authority over death.
But Lazarus
comes out still bound.
“Unbind
him.”
Resurrection
is instant.
Transformation takes time.
The Church
helps remove grave clothes:
- Confession,
- Spiritual direction,
- Community,
- Prayer.
4. Key Biblical Verse
“I am the
Resurrection and the Life.”
Carry this
in your heart.
Where
Christ is present, death does not have the last word.
5. Spiritual Diagnosis
What is our
tomb?
- A repeated sin.
- A refusal to forgive.
- Pride.
- Spiritual laziness.
- Loss of hope.
The real
disease beneath everything is unbelief.
We believe
Christ can act for others.
But do we
believe He can act in us?
6. Spiritual Contrast & Divine Remedy
The world
says:
“Escape suffering.”
Christ
says:
“Transform suffering.”
The world
says:
“Hide your weakness.”
Christ
says:
“Bring it to Me.”
Fear says:
“It is too late.”
Faith says:
“Roll away the stone.”
7. Pastoral Reflection
My dear
people,
Some of you
feel ashamed of your tomb.
You think:
“It smells.”
“It is embarrassing.”
“It is hopeless.”
Martha said
the same: “Lord, there will be a stench.”
But Christ
is not afraid of the smell of sin.
He enters
it.
He stands
before it.
He calls
you by name.
He does not
shout generally.
He calls
personally.
8. Self-Examination
Let us be
silent for a moment.
Where am I
in this Gospel?
Am I Martha
— believing but doubting?
Am I Mary — weeping in disappointment?
Am I Lazarus — bound in habit?
Am I among the crowd — watching but unmoved?
What stone
must I remove?
(Pause.)
9. The Call of the Hour
Holy Week
is near.
Before
Jesus enters His own tomb,
He opens another.
Why?
To prepare
us.
Soon we
will stand before the Cross.
Soon we
will see the stone rolled before Christ’s tomb.
But because
of today’s Gospel, we know:
The stone
will not win.
This is
urgent because spiritual numbness grows quietly.
Today
Christ calls.
10. Weekly Action
- Go to Confession this week.
- Pray Psalm 130 daily.
- Identify one grave cloth — one concrete sin — and begin removing
it.
11. The Echo and Take-Home Message
If you
remember nothing else, remember this:
No tomb is
final when Christ stands before it.
Not your
past.
Not your weakness.
Not your repeated failures.
Not your hidden wounds.
The voice
that called Lazarus
still echoes in the Church today.
You were
not created for burial.
You were
created for life.
When Christ
calls your name —
do not remain inside.
Come out.
12. Conclusion
Soon we
will see another tomb — Christ’s own.
But on
Easter morning, He will rise not because someone calls Him — but because He is
Life itself.
Lazarus
needed Jesus.
We need Him
even more.
Let this
Lent not end with reflection alone.
Let it end
with resurrection within you.
If there is
a stone — roll it away.
If there is a sin — confess it.
If there is a wound — surrender it.
If there is fear — release it.
Do not
admire the miracle.
Experience
it.
Come out.
13. Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You are the Resurrection and the Life.
Stand before the tombs of our hearts.
Call us by name.
Give us the courage to remove the stone.
Unbind us from sin.
Fill us with Your Spirit.
Prepare us for the joy of Easter.
Amen.
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ADDANKI RAJU.
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