Homily: Fifth Sunday of Lent (A)
Ezekiel 37:12-14 / Romans 8:9-11 /John 11:1-45
22 March 2026
Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA
We often hear the line — “Life is short… better enjoy it.” To a certain extent that is true. Life is short indeed, so we try to savour it: eat a good meal, spend time with people we love, rest after a long day. However, I saw an interesting meme online that adds another layer: “Eternity is long… better prepare for it.” Think about it for a moment. This concept shifts the question from “Am I enjoying life?” to “Am I living a life that endures?”
In the passage from the Prophet Ezekiel, God speaks to people who feel like everything is over. Their hopes are gone. Their future feels closed. And God says, “I will open your graves and have you rise from them… I will put my spirit in you that you may live” (Ezekiel 37:12, 14). God is not waiting for the end. He is already opening what feels sealed in us. This is reinforced by today’s Gospel story. Lazarus has been dead four days and to his family, his life, his future and their hopes for him is finished. When Jesus arrives, Martha says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). We know that feeling. “Lord, if you had acted sooner…” “If you had answered earlier…” Jesus goes to the tomb and cries out, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43). And Lazarus comes out — alive! He is still wrapped, still bound and Jesus says, “Untie him and let him go” (John 11:44). He may not have been free, but he is alive! Our reading from the Letter to the Romans says, “The Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you” (Romans 8:11). Not someday, but NOW. We may not be always conscious of this, but the life of God is already within us.
Today, let us ask ourselves, where are the places within us that feel closed off and lifeless…dead? These are may be areas of our lives marked by deep frustration — places where we have slowly lost hope, believing that nothing will change and that things may never get better. Maybe it is a relationship we have already given up — our wayward child or a lazy husband. Or maybe it is a habit we think will never change such as tardiness or smoking. Perhaps it is a prayer life that has slowly stopped because of busyness or spiritual dryness. We move, work, and talk, believing we are living normal lives — but parts of us may already be in the tomb.
We are so blessed that Jesus stands before these places. He faces them instead of avoiding them, because we are there. The Gospel even says, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). He sees the pain of their loss. He feels it. And then He speaks: “Come out.” Preparing for eternity is not only about the future. It is about allowing that voice to reach us now. To let Him open what we have closed. To let Him bring life where we have already given up.
Life is short, yes — so we enjoy it. On the contrary, eternity is long — so we let God make us live for that future here and now. And when He calls, now and at the end, may it be a voice we already recognise, because we have already begun to step out of the tomb.
The Resurrection of Lazarus Painting by Miki De Goodaboom
Sunday Gospel Reflections 