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A Homily from March 29, 2020
Fifth Sunday of Lent
St. Paul preaches on the resurrection of Jesus by God’s Spirit, raising Jesus from the dead. And this applies to us the believers: the Spirit we receive at our Baptism which removes original sin, and our turning to God seeking forgiveness for our ongoing sins, once again, by the power of the Holy Spirit we are forgiven, the graces we received through sacramental absolution when we go to Confession. So, even though serious sin causes death in us, God’s Spirit brings us to life.
The resurrection of Jesus’s friend, Lazarus, reveals to us the divine power Jesus possesses; as Ezekiel and Romans reveal to us, only the Spirit of God can bring a dead person to life. Clearly the sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha, believed Jesus arrived too late to do anything about Lazarus’ death. And when Jesus reassures them, “Your brother will rise again,” Martha’s reply is in line with what the Pharisees taught: they believed in the resurrection “on the last day.” But this is not the Resurrection that Jesus means: the Resurrection we have in this passage is two-fold.
For thou hast created us for thyself, and our heart cannot be quieted till it may find repose in thee.
St. Augustine, Confessions 1.1