Reflection

On Sunday 18 March 2018, the fifth Sunday of Lent, the Church gifts us with the Gospel of the raising of Lazarus from the dead in John Chapter 11.  Much could be said, and has been said, about this beautiful text of Jesus' love and miraculous power.   In this 11th chapter of John’s Gospel we read ‘Jesus wept’.  Following seeing the distress of Lazarus’ sister at his death of her brother, we are told Jesus wept. 

As Christians we believe in the divine nature of Jesus, the second person of the Trinity and His humanity as the incarnate Son of God, who took on human flesh for our salvation.  In this text we see Jesus sharing deeply in the human experience and emotion of pain and suffering as He witnesses the pain of Mary and Martha and the death of Lazarus. 

It is refreshing for us to know that Jesus lived as a man, experienced the joy of human life and the pain and suffering.  He has shared in this human life that we have, and knows our experiences.   We can always come to Jesus and share with Him our suffering and pain. He loves us and wants to be with us in the difficult times.  He wants to be with us when we weep, be with us when we are feeling alone and abandoned and be with us when we are in pain. As a part of our Lenten journey, let us invite Jesus more deeply into every aspect of our lives and in a special way the struggles and pain.  Let us give these sufferings and pain to Him, ask Him to journey with us and pray that we can be open to experiencing the healing love of Jesus and in whatever way He wants to manifest this in our lives. 

Let us find a few minutes each day to share with Jesus our joys and successes and give thanks to Him for these, as well as finding a few moments to invite Him to be with us in the challenges and sufferings of the day.  He loves us deeply and wants to be united with us in everything we live.  Let us take time this day (and every day) to invite Him to be with us.

Holy Family of Nazareth – Be our inspiration and our guide

Jesus of Nazareth – Help us to grow in faith, wisdom and knowledge