“THE SPIRITUAL DEATH”

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR A

THEME: “THE SPIRITUAL DEATH”

((Readings: 1^st: Ezk 37:12-14zt; Ps: 129; 2^nd: Rom 8:8-11; Gos: Jn 11:1-45))

Today being the 5^th Sunday of lent, we are gradually coming close to the end of the season. We are polishing our preparations for the Easter celebration and I trust you had ample time to pray, fast, and receive the sacrament of reconciliation. During the Lenten season, we have been dealing with the consequences of sin. We realized that Sin causes spiritual disabilities (Jn 5:1-16), spiritual thirst/starvation (Jn 4:5-42), spiritual blindness (Jn 9:1-41), and ultimately spiritual death (Jn 11:1-45). “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Dear friends, death is so frightening and painful that nobody wants to speak about it but cannot be avoided. Death is a reality that we have all to accept and live with, that one day we shall all die but our hope is that Christ will rise us to eternal life. The physical death leads to a spiritual birth into the heavenly kingdom. That is why the birthday of a saint is celebrated on the day of his/her death. The biggest worry should be about our spiritual death caused by sin. That is why the Church in her wisdom has kept this season for us to seek spiritual healing.

The final wage of our sin is death but our hope is in Jesus Christ because of the following reasons:

• HE PROMISES US LIFE ETERNAL

Death is a reality that everyone has to pass through because a person’s life has a beginning and an end. One day Jesus´ human life ended, but the spirit of God raised him up and he entered into the glory of the Father. According to Pauls´s teachings today, we have received the same spirit during baptism, therefore we will not die either. Our life in this world will end, but it will not be the end of everything. The spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will give us eternal life. Death is just a transitional stage therefore Jesus said that those who believe in him will never die. We should accept the reality of death with faith and hope in God the giver of life.

• NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD

Raising Lazarus from death is a message of hope that nothing is impossible for God. The Jews believed that after three days in the tomb the person was completely dead and on the fourth day the body began to decompose. Martha said, “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died”. Sometimes we think that God is too late to come to our aid, but he is always on time. He can restore your health, financial status, and social status because nothing is impossible with him.

In the first reading (Ezk 37), God asked Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bone and they shall live. God is to breathe his spirit into them and they shall have life. He shall make flesh for them and cover them with a skin. This is a prophecy to restore his people. If you believe in God, and place your trust in Him, He will restore your life and status.

• OUR SELF-MADE TOMBS

Many of us are literally trapped and bound inside self-made tombs. We often bind ourselves with strings of addiction to alcohol, drugs, sexual deviations, poverty,  powers of darkness, gossip, fear, envy, prejudices, unforgiveness, hatred, and anger and bury ourselves in the tombs of despair. Jesus asks us today to seek his help and that of the people around us to loosen those chains and come out of the tombs of our own creation. Which tomb have you been trapped inside? Jesus commands “Take the stone away, unbind him, and let him go.” 

As a Christian community, let us stand before the world and accept the challenge to untie those who are bound and help them to come out from their self-made graves.  Jesus calls each one of us today by name to come out of our graves and help others to do the same.  “Lazarus, come out!   Mary, come out!  Tony, John, Peter, James, Eunice, etc., come out!”.  For Some, we can manage by ourselves but others we need to seek for assistance to help us roll the stone lest we remain stuck inside forever.

In brief dear friends, death is a natural reality that everyone must surely pass through. However, in every case death is painful and that is why even Jesus wept for the death of his friend Lazarus. However, Jesus did not weep desperately like Martha, Mary, and the Jews who came to mourn. We need to always support, sympathize, weep, and comfort those who are mourning but not become desperate. The worst death is a spiritual death caused by sin because sin binds us inside the tomb when we are still physically alive. We should rather weep more in this form of death because it leads to the eternal damnation of the soul. Jesus is today commanding you to come out of our self-made tombs of spiritual death.  He has come in order to set you free!

PRAYER: Lord, let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleading. Amen

Fr. Antony Muchui, SVD

Have a Joyful Laetare Sunday!!  If you want to join us, contact me on- ((Contact our vocation office at +255629269140 or +254792299140))

“May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the word and the spirit of Grace; and may the heart of Jesus live in the heart of all the people. Amen” SVD Prayer