Raising the dead. Fifth Sunday of Lent (A)

Today our Lenten gallery places us before a tomb, a cemetery. We are in Bethany, the village of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, so close to Jerusalem, a short distance away. It is here, on the threshold between life and death, that the Gospel of the resurrection of Lazarus takes place (Jn 11:1-45).

The humanity of Christ is evident in these verses. We see a God who feels, who weeps, who consoles, who accompanies. We see friendship with Lazarus and with his sisters, Martha and Mary. 

At the center of this dramatic scene is a decisive revelation. Jesus says to Martha, «I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.» (Jn 11:11). This same promise echoes in the first reading from the prophet Ezekiel, «I myself will open your graves, and bring you out of them.» (Ezekiel 37:12). God reveals himself as the one who brings life from what seems hopelessly dead, who restores hope where only dry bones remain. We are clearly presented with the theme of the restoration of life, the victory of life over death. We have, so to speak, a foretaste of the paschal mystery in today's readings. 

Before the tomb of Lazarus we find a place destined for the dead, but in the presence of Christ it becomes a place of life. A place of tears is transformed into a place of consolation. Moreover, Jesus shows us that the resurrection he proclaims is a real possibility and not just an idea or a future promise. Conversion, therefore, is not simply a moral improvement; it is a return to life. The essence of conversion is to find ourselves again in Christ.

Jesus once told his apostles that their mission would include: «Heal the sick, raise the dead.» (Mt 10:8). This mission is not reserved only for the apostles; it is entrusted to every Christian. When Christ gave this instruction, he was not referring only to raising dead bodies, but to restoring life to hearts burdened by guilt, pain or vice; to giving life to those who are spiritually dead; to restoring Christ to people's hearts. The parable of the prodigal son illustrates this eloquently. 

During Lent we are called to participate in this work of raising the dead. We are invited to help those around us to rediscover life in Christ and to allow Christ to resurrect what is dead within us. Sin and vice slowly suffocate the heart, but conversion restores life. Perhaps our own hearts, or those close to us, have been buried for four days, four weeks or even four months. Like Lazarus, they may seem sealed behind a stone, but Jesus knows how to remove stones. He is not repelled by the smell of death. He approaches with the heart of a friend who loves, who feels, who weeps, and it is precisely this love that moves the stone. In this time of Lent, we too are called to participate in this power of love: through a smile, a word of forgiveness, the willingness to listen, the patience to accompany someone in pain or difficulty.

We often remember that burying the dead is a work of mercy. Today, the liturgy reminds us of another equally urgent task, to raise the dead, especially the spiritually dead, as we prepare to celebrate Easter.