Do We Believe or Pretty Much Believe? . . . Fifth Sunday of Lent
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Fifth Sunday of Lent - March 26th, 2023 (Click Here for Readings)
It's easy to say that we believe in something and often another to live it. As we see in our Gospel this Sunday, Martha showed her belief in Jesus up to a point. She believed upon Jesus’ arrival at Bethany that he could have prevented Lazarus’ death had he arrived earlier, but there was a part of her belief that was fragile when Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.”
Though she did believe that Lazarus would rise “in the resurrection on the last day,” she didn’t grasp Jesus’ real meaning that he would rise now. So when Jesus approached the tomb and said “Take away the stone,” Martha’s lack of belief showed itself again when she basically said, “What for? He’s already been dead for four days.”
She may have told Jesus that she believed he was the Christ and the Son of God, but not until he proved it by his actions of bringing Lazarus back to life did she wholeheartedly believe it.
What About Us?
How often have we said to ourselves and others that we believed in this or that, but betrayed our true feeling about it? And more seriously, how often have we boasted about our belief in Jesus’ ability to protect and guide us through our lives and then fall weak when things didn’t turn out as we hoped?
When our prayers aren’t always answered, our belief in Jesus’ willingness to respond often breaks down. Though he may answer them in his time and in the way he knows what’s best for us, it doesn’t always strengthen our belief in him. To have the confidence that he knows us better than we know ourselves and our real needs requires our deepest faith.
Though we may never experience Jesus’ divine power displayed in us or our loved ones as it once was in Lazarus or his many other healings, we must be filled in the spirit and not in the flesh, as St. Paul says, to fully believe in his powers today.
Though our life in the spirit will include sufferings caused by those in the flesh, we must maintain our believe that they are only temporary in our short earthly life and will be gone forever in eternity.
It’s All God’s Plan
Suffering is a transition to God’s glory, and though we may not always recognize the calming spirit within us, it is always nearby, working to prepare our souls for eternal life with Jesus. Suffering and graces go hand in hand.
So let us stay strong in our belief in Jesus’ ability to answer our prayers and meet our needs without needing physical proof as he showed in raising Lazarus. Let us allow God to open our graves, and breathe his spirit into us, in Ezekiel’s words, no matter how buried we may feel at times.
Jesus creates us in him through his death, and can recreate us from our spiritual death when needed. So let us savor our share in Jesus’ life. Let us unbind ourselves and go to him now in preparation to celebrate his resurrection as we approach Easter.
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