St. Ignatius Martyr Parish

The readings for the last two Sundays have identified two symbols of baptism - water and light. This Sunday, in Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, we see the third symbol - life. But there is another important element in these three readings - faith.

The woman at the well comes to believe in Jesus because of what he tells her about her life. In him she sees a source of life that is now hers for believing in him. Because of this belief in Jesus, she is transformed into a new person. The man born blind comes to believe in Jesus when he realizes that it is Jesus who has cured him of his blindness. He has literally seen the light, the light of Christ, and thus can recognize Jesus as Lord.

The situation in the story of Lazarus is different. He is dead. However, while alive he believed in Jesus. His sisters Martha and Mary also believed. They, too, already believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God and that their brother Lazarus would participate in the resurrection on the last day. However, their faith is incomplete because they are upset that Jesus had not arrived sooner and even hesitate when he wants to remove the stone from the tomb. But despite that, Jesus sees the faith they do possess, and to demonstrate that those who believe in him will live, even if they die, raises Lazarus from the dead. "Through the restoration of Lazarus, notes Patricia Sánchez, "Jesus is revealed as the resurrection and the life; through his suffering and death, the gift of everlasting life will be made available to all who believe." (Celebration, March 2008)

We, too, must be people of faith knowing that, even though we die, we will live if we believe in Jesus. Jesus died to give us life, eternal life. Facing death is never easy, whether it be ours, or another's. Roland J. Faley explains: "In every death...there is a wrenching pain of separation. But there is also cause for rejoicing, that is, if we truly accept God's word, if we do believe in the Lazarus story. It is not the ‘grim reaper' who greets us but the loving Lord who has gone before us...If God has loved us enough to give his Son for us, will he abandon us now?...God promises that he will see us. Christ will come to us just as surely as he came to Lazarus. Do we truly take him at his word?" (Footprints on the Mountain, Paulist Press, 1994, p. 274)

Many times our faith is tested when death comes. As scripture scholar Raymond E. Brown states: "It is precisely at that moment, when we are confronted with the visible reality of the grave, that we need to hear and embrace that bold message that Jesus proclaims in John's Gospel: ‘I am the life.' Despite all human appearances, ‘Everyone who believes in me shall never die at all.'" True faith has to include a belief in Jesus as the source of unending life. The sign of Lazarus points ahead to the eternal life that God will give through Jesus. "Jesus is the resurrection and the life for us. Thus, our hope is not that our bodies will never die but that our whole selves will be united with the risen Lord and share in his eternal life and glory." (The Paulist Liturgy Planning Guide, 2008) We began Lent with the reminder that we will return to dust. We end at Easter with the proclamation of new life.

OTHER ITEMS: 1) Prepare well for Easter by coming to the communal Sacrament of Reconciliation this Wednesday, March 12th at 7:00 p.m. We will have several priests available. 2) I ask all ministries and groups not to meet during Holy Week so that this time can be used to prepare for the Triduum and Christ's resurrection. This is truly a sacred time for us. 3) I encourage you to attend the Triduum - Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. All three days are filled with wonder and awe. They are a must for us as Christians as they draw us into the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. Concern about the length of the services should not dictate whether we attend or not. We come for God, as a response to our love for God. If we do not come because we are concerned about time, what does that say about the place of God in our lives and of our love for God? 4) Beginning the Tuesday after Easter we will begin to celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours. We will begin with the praying of the Evening Prayer in the Mother's Chapel at 5:30 p.m. We hope you can join us.

Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Joe