Fifth Sunday of Lent

Fifth Sunday of Lent March 22, 2026

Ezekiel 37:12-14;   Romans 8:8-11;  John 11:1-45

(image courtesy: Google)

After the Earthquake had subsided, when the rescuers reached the ruins of a young woman’s house, they saw her dead body through the cracks. But her pose was somehow strange that she knelt on her knees like a person was worshiping; her body was leaning forward and her two hands were supporting an object. The collapsed house had crashed her back and her head. With many difficulties, the leader of the rescuer team put his hand through a narrow gap on the wall to reach the woman’s body. He was hoping that this woman could still be alive but not really. He and the rest of the team left this house and went to search the next collapsed building. For some reasons, the team leader was driven by a compelling force to go back to the ruin house of the dead woman. Again, he knelt down and used his hand through the narrow cracks to search the little space under the dead body. Suddenly, he screamed, “A child! There is a child!”  The whole team worked together; carefully they removed the piles of ruined objects around the dead woman. There was a 3 month old little boy wrapped in a flowery blanket under his mother’s dead body. Obviously, the woman had made an ultimate sacrifice by using her body to make a cover to protect her son. They opened the blanket and saw a cell phone inside. There was a text message on the screen, it said: “Dear baby, if you can live, always remember that I love you.”

The message speaks of a love that is stronger than death.

Today’s Gospel presents us with another scene of sorrow and hope. Jesus comes to the house of Martha and Mary. Their brother Lazarus has died. There is grief, confusion, and pain. It seems that everything is over. Martha even says to Jesus that if He had been there, her brother would not have died. There is faith, but it is mixed with disappointment.

Jesus responds in a powerful way. He says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” This is not just a statement. It is a promise. It is a revelation of who He is. Jesus is not only someone who gives life. He is life itself. Wherever He is present, death does not have the final word. Before performing the miracle, Jesus is deeply moved. He weeps. This shows us that God is not distant from our suffering. He enters into our pain. He feels our sorrow. He stands with us in our moments of loss. But He does not stop there. He goes to the tomb and calls Lazarus out. And Lazarus comes out alive.

This Gospel invites us to see that even when situations look final, they are not final for God. What seems dead can be brought back to life. What seems lost can be restored. Jesus has power over death, not only physical death but also the many forms of death we experience in life.

There are moments when we feel like we are inside a tomb. It may be because of sin, failure, fear, or sadness. Sometimes we feel trapped, like there is no way out. But Jesus stands before us and calls us by name. He says, “Come out.” He invites us to step out of darkness into light, from death into life.

The first reading from Ezekiel speaks the same message. The people felt like dry bones, without hope. But God promises to open their graves and fill them with His Spirit. This shows that God is always working to restore life. Even when we feel empty, God can renew us.

St Paul, in the second reading, reminds us that the Spirit of God gives life. When we live with God, we are alive in a deeper sense. Even if our bodies are weak, our spirit is alive because God lives in us. This is the life that Jesus offers.

From these readings, we can take three simple life messages.

The first message is that God brings hope in hopeless situations. When everything seems lost, God is still present. Like Lazarus in the tomb, we may feel that nothing can change. But Jesus calls us out. We must trust that God can do something new in our lives.

The second message is that we are called to listen to Jesus' voice. Lazarus came out because he heard the voice of the Lord. In the same way, we need to listen to God in our daily life. Through prayer, through His word, and through people around us, God speaks. When we listen and respond, we move from darkness to light.

The third message is that true love gives life. Real love is not about taking. It is about giving. It is about caring for others, even when it is difficult. When we love in this way, we become instruments of life for others. Our kindness, our forgiveness, and our sacrifices can bring hope to someone who is struggling.

Now we return to the story we heard at the beginning. That mother gave her life so that her child could live. Her love did not end with her death. It continued in the life of her child. Her final message was a reminder of love that remains. In a deeper way, this is what Jesus does for us. He will soon go to the cross. He will give His life for us. His love becomes our protection. His sacrifice becomes our life. And through His resurrection, He gives us hope that death is not the end.

As we continue this journey of Lent, we are invited to remember this message. We are loved with a love that does not end. We are called to come out of whatever holds us back. And we are called to share that love with others.

May we hear the voice of Jesus calling us to life. May we trust in His power over every form of death. And may we live in such a way that our love brings life to others, just as we have received life through Him.

Happy Sunday