Fifth Sunday of Lent 2020 St Augustine of Canterbury Parish
Introduction
In life, we sometimes have situations and things that inhibit and restrict both our human and spiritual potentials and capacities. The restrictive situations may bind, obstruct, hinder and choke us. The debilitating situations and things may include things such as natural disasters, pandemics, and even death. These obstructions may disrupt our interactions, plans, expectations, routine, habits, freedom of movement and even peace of mind. How do we reclaim or help each other to regain the horizons of both our potentials and capacities of life given by God?
Theme: “Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (John 11:44)
God will bring us back to life The first reading of the Fifth Sunday of Lent 2020 announced good news with regard to some of the things that bind and tie down human life and potentials: death, burial and graves. The Prophet Ezekiel proclaimed that even if human life comes to abrupt end, caused by death and burial, God is able to remove things that tie down human span and duration of life. God is able to give back life. God is able to restore life. God is able to raise the human person from the grave:
Thus says the Lord God:
“I am going to open your graves,
and bring you up from your graves, O my people;
and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
And you shall know that I am the Lord,
when I open your graves,
and bring you up from your graves, O my people.
“I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live,
and I will place you on your own soil;
then you shall know
that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,”
says the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37.12-14)
The above divine and sacred proclamation reassures us that God is able to unbind the human person even in times of seemingly impossible obstacles in life. Are human persons able to turn towards the one and only power who is able to set humanity and universe free from all obstacles? Are human persons willing to raise their voices to the almighty for help as one psalmist did? We can make the voice of the psalmist this Fifth
Sunday of Lent 2020 ours by saying to the Lord:
“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
I wait for the Lord,
my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning.
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.” (Psalm 130.1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7b-8)
Live in the Spirit of God
In addition to transforming our voices to that of the psalmist, we can also invite the Spirit of God to transform us from dwelling in the flesh into dwelling in the Spirit of God. In Koine Greek the word flesh (σάρξ [sárx)] refers to a state of life that is raw, untamed, undignified, uncivilized and degrading. In contrast, life in the Spirit of God is purified, refined, dignified, civilized and honoring. So when we live in the flesh, we have more situations to bind and tie us down. But when we live in the Spirit of God, we have more situations to raise up all our human and spiritual potentials and capacities:
“Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh;
you are in the Spirit,
since the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ
does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
though the body is dead because of sin,
the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
he who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also
through his Spirit that dwells in you.” (Romans 8.8-11)
Unbind…and let go
So that our state of life will not be tied up, bound and choked by the limitations imposed by human flesh, we need divine help. The Gospel of today gives us an excellent example.
The life of Lazarus was cut short by the obstruction from death as well as series of malevolent conditions, represented by things such as burial, grave, stench, strips, stone, and linens. The sisters of Lazarus were not spared from the predicament of their brother, Lazarus. The joy, peace of mind, hope, stability and expectations of the sisters of Lazarus were cut short, as well. Even in his humanity, the peace of mind of Jesus was cut short by
the death of Lazarus:
“Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Jesus was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.
He said, “Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Lord, come and see.”
Jesus began to weep.” (John 11: 21-23, 33-35)
Let us be mindful of how many times we have put tears in the eyes of Jesus because of the things that bind us in human flesh and human life. Let us remember that when we go through hardships, we are not in it alone: The Lord weeps with us and for us, but above all he wants to unbind us, and let us go:
“Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
And Jesus looked upward and said,
“Father, I thank you for having heard me.
I knew that you always hear me,
but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here,
so that they may believe that you sent me.”
When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out,
his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth,
and his face wrapped in a cloth.
Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary
and had seen what Jesus did believed in him.” (John 11: 39-45)
“Jesus says to them, ‘Loose him and let him go away’.” In Koine Greek λέγει … ὑπάγειν (present active imperative of the verb loose and active imperative of the verb go away). This imperative of Jesus is very revealing. In fact, Jesus did not solitarily remove the obstacles of Lazarus and her sisters. Jesus invited his disciples, apostles, and believers to be part of removing all debilitating conditions and obstructions in human life, which is represented by the situation of Lazarus. This Fifth Sunday of Lent 2020, Jesus is telling each believer: ‘Loose human person and let the human person go away.’ This firm command shows that the power of God will reanimate the human person, provided the person listens to the voice of the Son of God and collaborates with him, as Lazarus did.
Conclusion
This week, what will you do to help others regain one instance of horizons of radiant potentials and capacities in life given by God? It might be a gentle word, food, advice, or encouragement given in order to shorten the duration of loneliness in the week. This week, what can we do to “lift up our hearts” to the Lord or to be lifted up in the Spirit of the Lord? How do we collaborate with God to unbind the human person from obstacles?