Daily Readings - Sun Mar 29 2020
Ezekiel
12Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel.13And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people.14And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD."
Romans
8Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.9You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.10But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
John
3So the sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill."4But when Jesus heard it he said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.6So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.7Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."17Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.20So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house.21Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.22But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you."23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."24Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,26and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"27She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world."33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.34And he said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see."35Jesus wept.36So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"37But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?"38Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.39Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days."40Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?"41So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me.42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me."43When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out."44The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."45Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him,
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the power of God’s Spirit and the promise of new life, even in the face of death and despair. In the first reading, Ezekiel prophesies to a people in exile, feeling lifeless and hopeless, like dry bones scattered in a valley. God tells Ezekiel to speak His word, promising to breathe life into these bones and restore His people to their homeland. This passage is a powerful metaphor for spiritual renewal, reminding us that even when we feel lifeless or stuck, God’s Spirit can bring us back to life.
The second reading from Romans deepens this theme by contrasting life in the flesh with life in the Spirit. Paul explains that those who are in the flesh cannot please God, but those who have the Spirit of Christ are alive in Him. This reading emphasizes the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, who not only justifies us but also enlivens our mortal bodies. It reminds us that our true life comes from the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead and dwells within us.
The Gospel takes us to the story of Lazarus, where Jesus demonstrates His power over death and reveals Himself as the Resurrection and the Life. Martha’s declaration of faith, “I have believed that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” stands out as a moment of profound trust in the face of grief. Jesus’ response, “I am the Resurrection and the Life,” is a promise to all of us. He shows us that death is not the end but a transition to eternal life for those who believe in Him.
These readings connect beautifully, showing how God’s Spirit brings life to what is dead. Ezekiel’s dry bones, Paul’s emphasis on the Spirit, and Jesus’ raising of Lazarus all point to the same truth: God is the source of all life, and He desires to breathe new life into us. In our daily lives, we often face moments of spiritual dryness or feel overwhelmed by the challenges of the world. But today’s readings remind us to trust in God’s power to renew us. Let us turn to Him with faith, just as Martha did, and ask for the grace to believe in His promises. May we allow the Spirit of God to enliven our hearts and minds, so that we may live as children of the Resurrection, even in the midst of this world’s trials.