FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT 23

Reflection 2 5TH SUNDAY OF LENT EZEK 37. 12-14; ROM 8. 8-11; JOHN 11. 1-45 Pivot: Live and let live! Indicative: in a world that is dominated by a culture of death, we are called to live and promote a culture of life. Where and how to find it? 1.      Today’s word of God, in all three readings, focuses on the theme of life. God is the author of life. Jesus is the giver of life. Holy Spirit is the promoter of life. God wants us to live, live now with the divine life and later live in eternity. He wants to give us life and life in abundance (Jn 10.10). 2.      God promises life through the prophet Ezekiel: “I will open your graves, rise you from them and bring you back. I will put my spirit within you that you may live”. These words come true in Jesus Christ. He opens the grave of Lazarus, raises him from death and brings him back. He puts within him his life-giving spirit and he lives. 3.      Now how to receive and experience this life? We live when we do not die. Therefore, overcome the power of death in order to live. The death that we speak of, is obviously not physical death. It is spiritual death. Such a death is caused by sin. 4.      The effects of sin are concretely seen in the works of the flesh. The flesh is not to be equated with the body. The flesh is whatever is opposed to the Spirit and the spiritual. Flesh signifies all our sinful tendencies, inclinations and acts. As long as we live in the realm of the flesh, guided by the urges and pulls of the flesh, and indulge in the deviations and pleasures of the flesh, we will not be pleasing to God. We will be dead in the Spirit. 5.      Therefore, we will live when we rise from the graves of sin, flesh and death. It is not enough that we avoid flesh but need to foster the life of the Spirit. That is possible only when we live, not in the realm of the flesh but of the Spirit. 6.      Living in the realm of the Spirit is possible when we walk by the promptings and higher surging of the Spirit. We will walk by the Spirit when we allow the Spirit to dwell within us. The Spirit will dwell in us when Christ lives in us. And Christ lives in us when we constantly strive to belong to him. We belong to him when we follow his way and the ways of righteousness. Imperative: Our call for a culture of life simply means “to live and let others live”. Live in God and live in good. Let the forces of death, especially aggression, violence and destruction cease. Let the streams of respect and concern for life and person flourish