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Fifth Sunday of Lent (A)

March 22, 2026

Fr. John Colacino C.PP.S.

Introit

Collect

By your help, we beseech you, Lord our God,
may we walk eagerly in that same charity
with which, out of love for the world,
your Son handed himself over to death.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading Ezekiel 37:12-14

Thus says the Lord God: “I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14 “I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,” says the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm 130:1-2,3-4,5-6,7-8

R/. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Second Reading Romans 8:8-11

Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Gospel Acclamation

Gospel John 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33-45

3 The sisters of Lazarus sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard this, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” 33 Jesus was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” 45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did believed in him.

Catena Nova

You see how Jesus gives full scope to death. He grants free reign to the grave; he allows corruption to set in. He prohibits neither putrefaction nor stench from taking their normal course; he allows the realm of darkness to seize his friend, drag him down to the underworld, and take possession of him. He acts like this so that human hope may perish entirely and human despair reach its lowest depths. The deed he is about to accomplish may then clearly be seen to be the work of God, not of man. (St. Peter Chrysologus)

Here we have a man past the prime of life, a corpse, decaying, swollen, in fact, already in a state of dissolution, so that even his own relatives did not want the Lord to draw near the tomb because the decayed body enclosed there, was so offensive. And yet, he is brought into life by a single call, confirming the proclamation of the resurrection, that is to say, that expectation of it, as universal, that we learn by a particular experience to entertain. For as in the regeneration of the universe, the Apostle tells us that “the Lord himself will descend with a shout, with the voice of the archangel” and by a trumpet sound, raise up the dead to incorruption — so now too, he who is in the tomb, at the Voice of command, shakes off death as if it were only sleep. He rids himself of the corruption that had come on his condition of a corpse, leaps forth from the tomb whole and sound, not even hindered as he leaves by the bonds of the grave cloths round his feet and hands. (St. Gregory of Nyssa)

When he asked, “Where have you laid him?” tears came to our Lord’s eyes. His tears were like rain, Lazarus was like seed and the tomb like the earth. He cried out in a Voice like thunder and death trembled at His Voice. Lazarus sprang up like the seed, came out and worshiped the Lord Who had raised him up…. The power of the death, which had overcome Him for four days, was wiped out… that death might know, how easy it was for the Lord to overcome it on the Third Day… Therefore the Lord restored their joy to Mary and Martha by treading down death, to demonstrate, that He Himself would not be held by death forever… From now on, every time someone says that rising on the third day is impossible, let them consider him who was raised on the fourth day. (St. Ephrem the Syrian)

Every person is afraid of the death of the flesh; few, of the death of the soul! … Human beings, destined to die, labour to avert their dying and yet, man, destined to live forever, labours not to cease from sinning! … Oh that we could arouse men and women and be ourselves aroused along with them, to be, as great lovers of the life that abides, as people are of that which passes away! (St. Augustine of Hippo)

Today Passiontide begins, a time especially consecrated to the remembrance and loving contemplation of the sorrows of Jesus…. The voice of the Lord makes itself heard these days, not by words, but by the eloquent testimony of deeds, by the great events of the Passion—a mystery which gives us the most convincing proof of His infinite love for us. Let us, therefore, open our heart to the sublime lessons of the Passion: let us see how much Jesus has loved us and how much we ought to love Him in return; let us learn that, if we wish to follow Him, we, too, must suffer and bear the Cross with Him and after Him. At the same time, let us open our heart to a lively hope, for our salvation is in the Passion of Jesus….The Passion of Jesus has redeemed us; it has opened once again our Father’s house to us; it is then the motive of our hope. (Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen)

The two sisters, Martha and Mary, are full of grief, yet full of confidence in Jesus. Let us observe how their two distinct characters are shown on this occasion. Jesus tells Martha that he is the Resurrection and the Life, and that they who believe in him shall not die, that is, shall not die the death of sin. But when Mary came to him, and he saw her weeping, he groaned in the spirit, and troubled himself, because he knew the greatness of her love. His divine Heart was touched with compassion as he beheld those who were so dear to him, smarting under that chastisement of death, which sin had brought into the world. Having reached the sepulcher where Lazarus was buried, he wept, for he loved Lazarus. Thus did our Redeemer by his own weeping sanctify the tears which Christian affection sheds over the grave of a relative or friend. (Dom Prosper Guéranger)

Jesus is moved and angry; for he stands at the end of his way on earth, immediately before the decisive battle which is to take power away from death by dying. He has gone after the creature that came to grief in its freedom, to bring it back from death and the tomb to life. In a few days he will be where Lazarus is now. Jesus is moved and weeps. Divine fury and loving mercy call for the infinite power of life which neither remains under death, nor allows anything else to remain there. “I am the resurrection and the life.” “Lazarus come out.” Jesus looks forward to the real end of the road he is travelling: beyond death, to life. In him the way of the creature that had wandered has come back to its goal. The ways of love remain ways of life even when they pass through death. Precisely this roundabout through death is love’s great triumph, its finest act of daring. A fearful act: but then love is not afraid when in the chill of morning it feels the nearness of the day. (Aemiliana Löhr)

Homily

So, what's in your tomb? More stuff than you think. They've gathered over time. They accumulate. And before you know it, you might as well be an episode of Hoarders! That might be a reason John tells us about Lazarus in stages. First we hear the news, Master, the one you love is ill. (G) Then Jesus, in the longer version of the story, says, Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him (vs 11). And finally, Lazarus has died. (Vs. 14).

We often follow the same path. Long before the tomb, we've been ill. Probably for a long time — not even knowing it. All manner of thing slowly sapping the life force, draining our energy, sometimes with and, often without, symptoms. These diseases of the soul render us more and more unconscious of what makes for health and wholeness. So the tomb beckons for the one Jesus loves is ill.

Then before we know it, we're asleep. Much has slipped into the realm of the unconscious. We might even appear lifeless in others' eyes. We certainly toss and turn, never quite able to get comfortable. Though sleep is also the time for dreaming. We get signals about the illness afflicting us, but they're hard to interpret and we often forget them altogether. There's a reason sleep has been called our nightly practice for the tomb.

And at last that's exactly where we find ourselves. Immobile as Lazarus in his burial bands. If we've been there for some time, others will see little hope for us, and perhaps even notice the telltale smell of death. But don't worry. There will always be someone who weeps for us and believes the illness will not end in death, but is for the glory of God (vs. 4).

We're speaking, of course, in symbol and metaphor — John's preferred language. These three weeks of Lent — the Sundays of the Scrutines — have called our attention to three of the seven "signs" by which the Gospel of John reveals who Christ is: from the Living Water, to the Light of the World to the Resurrection and the Life. We've been looking at them through the lens of depth psychology as pioneered by Carl Jung. In their different ways the Samaritan woman, the man born blind, and now Lazarus have spoken to us of the process whereby "the glory of God," as St. Irenaues put it, "is a living human being" (Adv Haer 4.20.7). Jung called this process "individuation", or becoming an undivided person — the whole person he termed the Self.

Now Jung was famous — some say infamous — for asking the question: "Is the self a symbol of Christ, or is Christ a symbol of the self?" (CW 9ii:122). For Christians the answer can only be the former. He is the one who leads us by sacred mysteries to new life (Preface).

Nevertheless, I believe Jung is right when he claims,

no relevant objection could be raised from the Christian point of view against anyone accepting the task of individuation imposed on us by nature, and the recognition of our wholeness or completeness, as a binding personal commitment. If he does this consciously and intentionally, he avoids all the unhappy consequences of repressed individuation. In other words, if he voluntarily takes the burden of completeness on himself, he need not find it "happening" to him against his will in a negative form. This is as much as to say that anyone who is destined to descend into a deep pit had better set about it with all the necessary precautions rather than risk falling into the hole backwards….The psychological rule says that when an inner situation is not made conscious, it happens outside, as fate. That is to say, when the individual remains undivided and does not become conscious of his inner contradictions, the world must perforce act out the conflict and be torn into opposite halves. (125-6)

As, of course, we see happening in this country and the world as we descend into a deep pit not unlike Lazarus' tomb.

Still, the raising of Lazarus is the sign Christ calls forth life from whatever place death has encroached and at whatever stage. It's what the third Scrutiny asks in this prayer offered for the elect: "Father, source of all life, who seek your glory in man fully alive and reveal your omnipotence in the resurrection of the dead, graciously rescue from the domain of death these elect who desire to come to life through Baptism." As indeed we have.

In his book Lazarus, Come Forth! Catholic mystic Valentin Tomberg noted,

[It]was Lazarus, the special friend of Jesus Christ, who was called to be the first Christian initiate, thereby laying the foundations and forming the starting point for the entire history of Christian initiation. Therefore the sickness of Lazarus, about which the sisters sent messages to the Master, was no ordinary sickness leading to death,” but a sickness “to the glory of God.” In other words, the sickness of Lazarus was not to bear witness to the transience of nature, as every natural sickness does, but to the reality of the divine Word made flesh, who is Lord over life and death, or the resurrection. The sickness of Lazarus was not merely a going away, but a departure in order to return; it was a dying in order to be reborn. Now it is just this act of dying—to the world in order to live and to work in the world out of forces and motives of action—which is not of this world. This is exactly what has always been regarded as the essence of initiation. An initiate was always looked up to as one “twice born.” (54-55)

And so we come forth from the Lenten tomb to the new life of Easter, life given and ever renewed by baptism, knowing that the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in [us], the One who raised Christ from the dead (cf. II). Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

[Pastoral note from The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church; Pontifical Biblical Commission; April 23, 1996, D3:

The dialogue between exegesis and psychology or psychoanalysis, begun with a view to a better understanding of the Bible, should clearly be conducted in a critical manner, respecting the boundaries of each discipline. Whatever the circumstances, a psychology or psychoanalysis of an atheistic nature disqualifies itself from giving proper consideration to the data of faith. Useful as they may be to determine more exactly the extent of human responsibility, psychology and psychoanalysis should not serve to eliminate the reality of sin and of salvation. One should moreover take care not to confuse spontaneous religiosity and biblical revelation or impugn the historical character of the Bible's message, which bestows upon it the value of a unique event.

Let us note moreover that one cannot speak of "psychoanalytical exegesis" as though it existed in one single form. In fact, proceeding from the different fields of psychology and from the various schools of thought, there exists a whole range of approaches capable of shedding helpful light upon the human and theological interpretation of the Bible. To absolutize one or other of the approaches taken by the various schools of psychology and psychoanalysis would not serve to make collaborative effort in this area more fruitful but rather render it harmful.]

Intercessions (Joe Milner; The Sunday Website)

For the Church: that God will transform our fears into hope, selfishness into love, and deaths into new life.

For all who must face death each day, particularly emergency personnel and hospital chaplains: that God will strengthen their spirits and help them honor the life of each person they assist.

For those with a terminal illness and those on death row: that they may surrender their life into God’s embrace and come to know Jesus who is the resurrection and the life.

For all who confront the death dealing forces of our society: that they may bring the light of Christ to those struggling with the darkness of abuse, addictions, violence, or disease.

For all who are experiencing divorce or the death of a relationship: that God will heal their pain, help them to face the issues with courage, and give them hope for their future

For those who are mourning the death of a loved one: that they may know Christ’s loving and sustaining presence with them in their time of loss.

For all the people of Bethany, Palestine, and Israel: that God will turn hearts from violence, protect the innocent, open new understanding of each other’s fears and hopes, and heal the wounds and mistrust that exists.

For all impacted by snow, floods, and storms: that God will protect them from further harm, give them strength and courage, and help them to find the support and resources that they need.

Merciful God, you showed your glory to our fallen race by sending your Son to confound the powers of death. Call us forth from sin’s dark tomb. Break the bonds which hold us, that we may believe and proclaim Christ, the cause of our freedom and the source of life, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, holy and mighty God for ever and ever. Amen. (ICEL; 1998)

Offertory Chant

Offertory Chorale

Communion Chant

Concluding Hymn

When grief is raw, and music goes unheard, and thought is numb, we have no polished phrases to recite. In Christ we come to hear the old familiar words: “I am the resurrection. I am life.”

God, give us time for gratitude and tears, and make us free to grieve, remember, honor, and delight. Let love be strong to bear regrets and banish fears: “I am the resurrection. I am life.”

The height and breadth of all that love prepares soar out of time, beyond our speculation and our sight. The cross remains to ground the promise that it bears: “I am the resurrection. I am life.”

All shall be judged, the greatest and the least, and all be loved, till every hurt is healed, all wrong set right. In bread and wine we taste the great homecoming feast, and in the midst of death we are in life. “I am the resurrection. I am life.”

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