Resurrection in Christ

Fifth Sunday of Lent
​Vancouver, March 29, 2020
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For those who listened to Pope Francis on Friday, March 27, live-streamed from the Vatican -- to the city and to the world, Urbi et Orbi -- we found ourselves united in prayer with the Holy Father and eleven million people, listening to the Gospel where Jesus calms the storm, Pope Francis’ homily, emphasising the words of Jesus, “Do not be afraid.” Then, time spent in silent Adoration.
 
The six Roman candelabra served not only to brighten St. Peter’s sagrato where the extraordinary prayer took place, but as symbol of the presence of the true light, Jesus Christ –  in His Word, in His Real Presence. The flames contrasted with a dark rainy Rome at 6 pm. Only the carabinieri were visible standing by their blue cars and lights flashing leading to Via della Conciliazione.
 
The Crucifix placed on the left of the sagrato was transported from San Marcello, the Basilica maintained by the Order of Servites on Via Corso.
 
For many the icon of the Virgin Mary looked familiar: Salus Populi Romani, “Health of the Roman people.” The icon was carried over from the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore where the icon is kept in the Pauline chapel (cappella Paolina) named after Pope Paul V who had the chapel rebuilt.
 
What does “health” mean.? Why is the Virgin Mary, “health of the Roman people”? Roman, of course, are all those attached to the Church of Rome, namely, with the Bishop of Rome, who is also Pope and the Vicar of Christ.

“Salus” has the meaning of “health” but in spiritual language, health also means salvation. So, when we turn to Mary, we are asking her to intercede for our health, but also for our salvation. Salvation, as every Roman Catholic knows comes from the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom Mary, the “God-bearer” brings into the world, with her “yes.”
 
“Salus” has a sound-resemblance to “salvus”; both mean salvation, but the former conveys the sense of health and safety, we might say more natural meaning. Salvus has the supernatural sense of salvation, as in “Jesus saved the people,” Jesus populum savlus fecit. So, the salus with Mary and salvus with Jesus convey this safety/health/salvation. 

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We need to remember, similarly, we are reading events at two different levels: a literal interpretation and a spiritual interpretation of the message; we can call this natural and supernatural, respectively.
 
This is the language that we find in both the prophet Ezekiel and St. John’ Gospel. Ezekiel speaks of opening the graves of the people and to bring them from their graves. And because they are dead, the only way they can be brought up from their graves is through God’s spirit and by God’s spirit they will live.
 
We have already in the prophet Ezekiel is the power of God to give life to the believer, so that even after death, they may still live. But this is only possible by the power of God. Remember, we are in the Old Covenant, and the doctrine of the Resurrection of the body will find its fulfilment in Jesus Christ, but already the prophets are pointing and gradually preparing for the Resurrection which Jesus will realise by the power of God.
 
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.
 
First the physical resurrection we have of Lazarus: all those present witnessed the extraordinary even of Lazarus who came back to life after being dead several days. From the outset Jesus understood the meaning of Lazarus’ condition, “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.”
 
Secondly, in his dialogue with Martha, Jesus tells her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” Martha’s reply to Jesus was, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
 
Martha has understood who Jesus is even before He performs the miracle reflecting the depth of Martha’s faith, understanding, “You are the Christ.” In other words, Jesus is the Messiah, the Saviour they have been waiting for and only He can restore Lazarus’s life; the only one who can give him -- them – us -- eternal life.
 
The message of Jesus is clear: the Father sent Him. And when a miracle of this nature is performed, bringing his friend back to life, it shows that Jesus is sent by God to save humanity. Here we have the physical sense of being saved; but even greater than this is the supernatural sense, our eternal salvation.
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In the midst of this Lenten pandemic how do we respond to these Scriptures? We have to levels of interpretations of the events around us: the natural level of hard facts that science and government offers us. But there is another layer of meaning as as this virus continues to spread and cover our disturbed reality -- not only the daily reminder of deaths, but now even shuttered Churches! I spoke to a priest in Rome this morning who said the Churches in Rome were originally completely closed, until Pope Francis intervened to have them open for private prayer. This same priest who works in Rome also told me how in parts of northern Italy have been hard hit with the virus with trucks filled throughout the day with dead bodies transported in coffins.
 
As we listen to our health and government leaders, they are reminding us what needs to be done. I find their language impressive as they try to explain to us why certain behaviours are needed; essentially, we are asked to become virtuous and this seems to be at the expense of our precious hedonistic freedoms. As I listen to the justified moralising language such as “defiant,” “hoarders,” and “gouging…” it shows the need where leaders need to step in so people are corrected and reminded to act virtuously.
 
And so, what happens when people are “defiant”? The persistence what we often call in moral language “obstinacy in sin,” leads to consequences: fines, tickets, from $1000 to $50.000 (if not more). You see, when people fail to act virtuously, and this has harmful effects on society, well, the state needs to intervene, and punish.
 
Yes, punishment. It seems as if people will heed when there is punishment for misbehaviour. “We are in this together,” which means we also suffer together the consequences of the decisions and actions of others.
 
I think the health and government leaders can now understand how challenging it is to change people’s behaviours -- to become virtuous in so far as they are doing what is good for the community and not just what is a self-interested, self-focussed, and self-centered. Yes, changing behaviour is not easy. This is really what the Gospel is there for: to help us lead virtuous lives. This is why we go to Mass and receive the Sacraments; to help us grow in virtue. Our society’s leaders are now teaching what the Gospel teaches: think about others!
 
Often people fail to take in account the consequences of ignoring God or worse – abandoning Him altogether. And so, God finds a way to call us back. Indeed, there are those who immediately feel the spiritual deprivation of not receiving the Sacraments; and there are those, who might not even notice the difference, open or closed Churches. So, our society is made of the believers and the godless. And God is appealing to everyone. From the Bishops who govern their dioceses to those who do not know God. We are all in this together. To seek God, to seek the Truth, to love as Jesus loved us offering his life as a Sacrifice, putting the good of the other first, and to proclaim the Good News that only Jesus can raise us from the dead and give us Eternal Life.
 
Salus Populi Romani, pray for us.