Reflections - Friday, March 20 and Sunday, March 22

Friday, March 20 

Today, the readings turn toward the suffering servant theme of the final weeks of Lent.  Jesus is wisdom personified, yet they seek to arrest and scorn him.  In their blindness, the wicked seek to punish and hurt the just one.  They taunt God and reject the ones who trust in God.  We are familiar with this pattern.  Sin continues to divide us.  Human experience teaches us that love has to go through suffering, is tested by it, is purified in it, and witnesses most clearly through it.  How we handle suffering is what makes the difference.

Consider the pains and trials in your life.  Can you enter into them at a deeper level and find new life in some way?  May we find new hope in crying out with the psalmist, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted” [Ps. 34].  Sometimes, all we can do is turn to our faith in God’s mercy and the intrinsic goodness of humanity.

Sunday, March 22  FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

The Fifth Sunday of Lent moves us into Passiontide, a time of more intimate engagement with Jesus leading up to his final days.

The prophet Ezekiel proclaims God’s promise that he will put his spirit within all humans that they may live.  Paul teaches that the same divine spirit which raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us and even in all creation.  This profound truth seems too much to take in.  The gospel passage from John details the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.  Through this narrative, John prepares us for the resurrection of Jesus by God’s power.

Today’s readings are so rich that they call for deeper reflection.  Study them one at a time.  Dialogue with the texts in your own words.  Imagine the scene in Bethany.  Jesus bursting into tears when he learns that Lazarus has died.  What speaks to you most clearly?

Side Note: this text from Romans 8 sometimes poses problems for readers because it seems to condemn the human body.  Like the rest of the New Testament, Romans was composed in Greek and later translated into other languages.  The New Testament uses two distinct terms for “flesh” and “body,” which are both translated as “flesh” in English.  Soma is the physical, neutral, or good body created by God, the flesh and bones.  Sarx, on the other hand, refers to the fallen, earthly, or sinful nature that opposes the Spirit.  Paul condemns sarx.