First Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 130;1-2.3-4-7-8 Second Reading:   Romans 8:6-11 Gospel Acclamation:  John 11;25-26 Gospel:  John 11:1–45

Today’s Reflection is by Fr. Séverin MUKOKO, SJ., Director, Centre Mgr MUNZIHIRWA, Kinshasa/DRC.

The biblical texts for this fifth Sunday of Lent invite us to contemplate the victory of life over death. God opens the tombs, breathes his Spirit into them, and calls us, like Lazarus, to come forth.

Our world reeks of death. From missile-ravaged Ukraine to the conflict in the Middle East and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where drones and bombs steal so many innocent lives, sow desolation, and shatter hopes, the words of Jesus resound like an unshakeable light: “I am the resurrection and the life.” “Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25).

Through this Gospel, Jesus reveals himself as the absolute Master of life. He manifests his divine nature and demonstrates his power to conquer death. Yes, it is from him that we must receive the gift of life that comes from God.

The text tells us, “Lazarus was sick.” This illness highlights the vulnerable condition of humankind, confronted with its finitude and the inevitability of death.

Today, let us focus our attention on Lazarus. Yes, this sick and forgotten Lazarus, who calls to us through the children living on the streets of our cities, the AIDS orphans who wander without shelter or a future, the people living with HIV/AIDS, trapped in the social tombs we tolerate (exclusion, marginalisation, contempt).

Faced with this illness, Jesus did not close his eyes; faced with death, he wept, he acted: “Lazarus, come out!” And Lazarus was raised from the dead, freed from his burial cloths. From now on, death is conquered; human illness is therefore no longer to be seen as that which destroys humanity, but is perhaps for the glory of God, if it is lived in a loving relationship with Jesus, in that personal relationship that Jesus has with each person. Jesus is the one whose entire life manifests God, and therefore, gives glory to God. Every illness, every fragility, every powerlessness, every tragic situation, every human suffering must therefore be inscribed within love for Jesus, so that, in our relationship with him, we may be a sign of the glory of God who triumphs over death, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

In Lazarus’s illness, Jesus is glorified, revealing that he is the Lord of life. And that in him, life is given to all, in its fullness.

Lazarus’s illness thus becomes the place where who Jesus truly is is revealed: “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).

However, Jesus is not guided by immediate emotion, but by the Father’s will. He waited for Lazarus to die because he did not come to spare suffering and mourning, but to transform them through his resurrection. Like Jesus, we can align our actions with the Father’s will, transforming trials into living testimonies of resurrection and hope.

The one who gives Lazarus life is the one who gives his life on the cross, in obedience, to offer us an overflowing life, freed from sin and death. In the midst of “dry bones,” the ravages of bombs and conflict, God promises to open the tombs, to give life again through his Spirit, and to restore his people to their land. And Jesus, the Master of life, fulfils this prophecy through his resurrection, transforming despair into active hope.

May God open our “sepulchers” of despair to breathe new life into us.Happy journey to Easter.