Homily: Fifth Sunday of Lent (A)
Christ, the Restorer of Life to Nations Plagued with
COVID-19 (A)
Fr. Udoekpo ,Michael Ufok
v Ezek 37:12-14
v Ps 130:1-8
v Rom 8:8-11
v John11:1-45
The
fifth Sunday of Lent’s liturgy--- 2020 and in the midst of ongoing
COVID-19 Pandemic, marks the end of the Lenten season and introduces us into
the Passion Week. It is the most sacred week, during which the church invites us
to contemplate the meaning of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection. In his
trials, suffering, and death, there is hope for resurrection. The tomb will never
be Christ’s final destination; rather, his final destination is his resurrection
and ascension. This is evident in today’s Scripture readings, which reminds us
that in spite of the pains and sufferings brought on us and nations by this
ongoing Corona virus, Christ remains for us believers, the source, restorer, and
giver of life.
In the
first reading, Ezekiel, the exilic priest and prophet, sees a vision in which
the dry bones of the dead are scattered in a field. He reminds us of the good works of Pope Francis and those of other priests, leaders, health workers who are the source and instruments of God healing spirit and comfort in this difficult moment of Corona virus. In the case of the vision(chazon) of Ezekiel of exile the spirit of
God dramatically collects the scattered bones, binds them together with sinew, covers them with
skin, and finally infuses them with divine breath to bring them to life. What a
message of hope that Ezekiel brings!: “I am
going to open your graves,” says the Lord, “and bring you up from your graves,
O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall
know that I am the Lord, when I
open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my
spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil” (Ezek
37:12-14).
Ezekiel’s
vision of dry bones is a message of hope to Israel and Judah. In spite of their
past challenges and difficulties, they would be restored as one people (Ezek 37:24-25),
their leadership and covenant would be reestablished, and the spirit of the Lord
and of justice would be restored in Israel (Ezek 37:26-27).
In our
Christian tradition, we are the new and renewed Israel. God, who is full of
kindness, compassion, and mercy, still loves us in spite of who we are: sinners
who have dug ourselves into graves of sin, people who forget, who makes mistakes,
who break the law and the covenant. He watches over us in the midst of this terrible pandemic. The psalmist reassures us that “For with the
Lord there is steadfast love, and
with him is great power to redeem” us from all threats and graves diseases (Ps 130:7).
What graves
have we found ourselves in today? Presently our graves take the form of a concern, COVID-19, and other illnesses, loss of our loved ones, disappointment,
rift, weakness, bad habit, quarrel, or an attitude of ingratitude or negativity.
Perhaps it takes the form of social, political, or economic challenges. How do you
relate to Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones?
Similarly, in our
second reading (Rom 8:8-11), Saint Paul, while preaching to the Romans, shows us
how to relate to Ezekiel’s metaphorical vision of the dry bones. For Paul, those
who were in the flesh in the church of Rome of his time—that is, those who were
against God’s values, practicing selfishness, lawlessness, and corruption, or
who were sticking to their old sinful ways of life—shall be brought to new life
through the spirit of God.
This spirit of God will see us through our daily challenges. In fact, it is this
spirit of God that raised Christ from the dead on Easter Sunday. It is this spirit
of God that raised Lazarus from the dead in today’s Gospel reading (John 11:1-45),
which further recalls Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones. In any given instance,
we can always be hopeful and learn from the Israelites, who found themselves in
a grave of their own making for a time during the exile but were eventually raised
up by the Lord (Ezek 37).
In the midst of this pandemic, we can always learn from Martha and Mary, too, who were
mournful and sorrowful for days because of the loss of their brother Lazarus. They
must have been frustrated because it took Jesus two days to respond to Lazarus’
illness. Truly, God’s ways are not our ways. God knows and works by his hours and
time. He knows when to change water into wine. He knows when to heal the royal official’s
son. God has his own clock, and it is different from ours. This is the hour of the
cross. The hour of the cross is the hour of the Father’s true glory, the hour of
Jesus’ true glory.
God knows
when to say to us, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43). In our moments of frustration, despair and hardship, we might be saying, like Martha, “Lord, if you had been here, my
brother would not have died” (John 11:32). Of course, Lazarus their brother would
rise and live. Like Martha and Mary, after a time of doubt and frustration, we want
to return to faith in Jesus, who is the life and the resurrection. Remember, those
who believe even though they die will live, and everyone who lives and believes
in Christ will never die (John 11:25-26).
Let us
pray at this Mass that the spirit of the one who raised Jesus and Lazarus from the
dead and restored life to the dry bones in Ezekiel’s vision may accompany us daily
in our faith pilgrimage (Rom 8:8-11)., especially in the midst of this outbreak of Corona virus. May allow God to use us as his healing instrument in this moment of crises. And may we always imitate Mary and Martha’s
faith in Christ, the giver of life eternal, in our response to life’s crises, especially the one facing us and all nations today.
Reflection Questions:
1. What grave have we found ourselves? Do you have
any hope of escaping it? Or can you see yourself as instrument of God's healing?
2. How do you relate to Ezekiel’s vision of the dry
bones in this moment Corona Virus?
3. For those who loss of face the threat of loosing their loved ones, in what ways do you identify with Martha and Mary in
today’s Gospel reading?
4. Do you believe that in the Lord there is mercy and hope for restoration?
