Fifth Sunday in Lent

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” And when he had said this, He cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

In Jewish tradition, the soul departed from the body after three days. No one expected Jesus to raise Lazarus at this point. He was in essence too far gone. Perhaps if Jesus arrived earlier he could have made a difference. We have a tendency to limit God. He can’t possibly help us with this or that difficulty. He wouldn’t be interested in our problems when there are so many more pressing matters in the world. However, we need to remember that God is always listening. If we trust in Him, then He will protect, guide, and strengthen us through ever trial. But most importantly, we must be open to doing whatever He asks us to do no matter how impossible it might seem. With God on our side all things are possible... even life after death.

Are we willing to trust God even when we feel like nothing can help us? Do we believe in God enough to be patient with the timeline of His Divine Plan rather than our own? How do we thank God for hearing our prayers and answering them in ways more wonderful than we could ever imagine.

O Lord, take away the stones that block our hearts from hearing your call to trust in you and your will.

Amen.