First Reading - Ezekiel 37:12-14
Second Reading - Romans 8:8-11
Gospel - John 11:1-45
In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel speaks to a people in exile who feel as though their future is gone. God uses a striking image: “I will open your graves and have you rise from them.” This is not only about physical resurrection, but about restoration. The people who feel cut off and lifeless will be renewed by God’s Spirit. He promises to put his Spirit within them so that they may live again. Even what seems dead is not beyond God’s power to restore.
The second reading from the Letter to the Romans deepens this message. Saint Paul contrasts life according to the flesh with life according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the Spirit belong to Christ, and the Spirit of God dwells within them. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in believers, giving life even now and promising resurrection in the future.
This leads us to the Gospel, one of the most powerful signs performed by Jesus: the raising of Lazarus. Lazarus has died, and by the time Jesus arrives, he has been in the tomb for four days. Martha expresses both faith and sorrow: she believes that Jesus could have prevented her brother’s death, yet she still trusts in God’s power.
Jesus responds with one of the most profound declarations in the Gospel: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.” He does not only promise resurrection; he reveals that resurrection is found in him.
What follows is deeply human and deeply divine. Jesus is moved by the grief of Mary and those around her. He weeps. This moment shows the closeness of God to human suffering. Jesus does not remain distant from pain; he enters into it.
Then, standing before the tomb, Jesus calls out, “Lazarus, come out!” And the man who was dead comes back to life.
Dear friends, this miracle is not only about Lazarus. It points forward to Jesus’ own death and resurrection, and it reveals his authority over life and death. It also speaks to our present lives. There are areas in us that can feel like tombs — places of fear, sin, discouragement, or hopelessness. Yet Christ calls into those places with the same power: “Come out.”
The question for us is whether we believe that his word can bring life even into what seems beyond hope.
As we move closer to the end of Lent, these readings invite us to renew our faith in God’s life-giving power. The Spirit of God is still at work. Christ still calls us out of whatever holds us bound. And new life is always possible for those who trust in him.
Even when all seems lost, God is not finished. For he is the God who opens graves, who breathes life into what is lifeless, and who calls each of us into the fullness of life in him.
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