As Christ-like, As Life-givers

HOMILY: Fifth Sunday of Lent (A)
John 11:1-45
26 March 2023
Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA
 
It is crazy and annoying to read or watch “nega” posts and videos on social media. It destroys our peace and mental well-being. Even in text messages, if we are not careful, we might be spreading fake news. As my friend calls it, we, ourselves, have become purveyors of death rather than of life to those around us.
 
Isn’t it better for us that we give life and hope to others? Why do we have to join in so many toxicity and negativity around us? There are so many traces of death, destruction, and chaos in all aspects of life today. Sometimes it may feel like we are living in tombs like Lazarus. We do not have to be locked in our tombs and even more so we shouldn’t put others in that situation.
 
The raising of Lazarus is a PREVIEW into the resurrection.  Although it is proof of the power of God over death, the raising of Lazarus was a resuscitation not a resurrection. Lazarus retained his same mortal body that would have been subject to aging, sickness and death. In due time, Lazarus also died. Easter is our first genuine example of the resurrection. In His resurrection, Jesus’ body is transformed and is eternal, a body that will never die. This resurrection of dead people at the second coming of Jesus is believed and expected by all who believe and accept Christ.
 
Today’s first reading from Ezekiel gives us an image of this resurrection of the dead. God opens the graves and makes the dead rise out of them. It is not zombie apocalypse. They are fully alive and not the living dead. They are brought back to life by God’s very spirit that He puts in them. The second reading tells us how precious and powerful the Spirit of God is. It says, “If Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness. If the spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also.” (Romans 8:10-11) Let’s remember that after Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were punished with mortality — they grew old and died. In Genesis 3:19 God says to Adam that he shall return to the ground “for dust you are and to dust you shall return.” All of us as descendants of Adam and Eve inherit this punishment. We will all die in time. That is the wages of sin. But the reading says, if Christ is in us, our soul will remain alive and the Lord who resurrected Christ will also resurrect our human body. That’s God’s promise! We can hold on to him because the Lord never lies.
 
What does this mean for us now as we wait for the day of Christ’s return? As followers of Jesus, we need to choose life and what is life-giving. The restoration of life depicted in the readings is very much like the work of Creation. In the beginning, the creature that had been formed from the dust of the ground came into being when God breathed the breath of life into it. (Genesis 2:7). When we choose things that are in accordance with Christ, it is as if we are participating in God’s work of giving life. We participate in God’s work of creation, in Christ’s work of redemption, in the Holy Spirit’s work of recreation!
 
In times of crisis like the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, we witnessed the volunteerism of many good Samaritans, heroes, and saints. They were there to save as many lives as they could — rescuing people, providing treatment to the injured as well as food and shelter to the victims rendered homeless by the catastrophe. Many of us, will not be given the opportunity to join such rescue operations but if we look around us, we will see who needs our help. Sometimes, it is our own companions in the house who need our care the most. 
 
Although we cannot, on our own, raise ourselves out of the many forms of death that afflict us, remember that the author of life never tires of reviving us. Jesus is constantly calling to us, inviting us to follow Him, the same way He called Lazarus out of his grave to restore him to life. Let Jesus be our inspiration to be LIFE-GIVERS to one another. Let us draw from within ourselves what is good, true, and Christ-like to bring people out of their tombs of death and lead them to faith and hope in our God!