I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had trouble figuring out which season of weather I like best. I have loved snow to some degree, perhaps the cozy fires of autumn, even sometimes the work of summer. Overall, though, I have often found myself enjoying spring, the more I think about it. If we look around, there are already signs that spring is very close to us- and perhaps already here. We have been trudging through the last few months of winter, and all of the cold and the snow, and a touch of ice here and there, and we have finally made it to the end of that, and are now able to enjoy spring. Yet, likely one of the reasons I enjoy it most is because it is so powerful to watch a transformation that takes place. The trees, the grass, the flowers, and all that has lied in dormancy for so long begins to bud and before long it will blossom. One could say that in this season, we are moving from death to life.
Really, when it comes to topics that no one really wants to talk about, perhaps at the very top of that list we may find something called “death.” We know it is unavoidable, or at least in our heart of hearts we know this to be true, and yet it doesn’t make it any easier to talk about. However, when we are given the liturgy today, it focuses almost exclusively on this unpleasant and fearsome topic. Perhaps there is something more to death than we could have possibly thought before. Maybe it leads us to something else.
The first reading for this weekend comes from the book of the prophet Ezekiel. This reading, though it only comes to us on occasion, is still a powerful one, especially when we couple it to Christ’s life. The reading sets a very somber tone, and it is a rather beautiful and sweet tone if we really delve into it. This is a beautiful reading because it is spoken to Israel as they are undergoing the Babylonian exile. This is an important moment to the people of Israel because they are undergoing a very difficult time. In many ways, to them, this feels like a moment of death. So, Ezekiel finds himself undergoing this time as well- and the message of the Lord in this time is interesting. Though He could cast blame on the people of Israel for all that has happened- He doesn’t. In fact, He speaks incredibly gently. What is he saying?
“Thus says the Lord God: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” God, through the words of the prophet begins to speak directly into their misery and their pain. He doesn’t want them to feel as if they have died and they are spiritually cut off. Rather, he wants them to feel very much alive and connected again. He gives them hope that eventually there will be restoration- and they will rise again from their misery and their pain. So they will be brought back to restoration in a particular way- though we may be able to understand it in a more broad context than they could have, which I will arrive at in a bit.
The second reading comes to us from the letter of Saint Paul to the Romans. While Saint Paul is speaking to the Romans, we can detect a voice that is largely trying to encourage them onwards and to live very differently in a world that may not be so attached to living a Christian life. He doesn’t mince words at all whenever he is speaking to the Romans and begins to be very frank. “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” This means that those who live life according to the flesh and the desires of the flesh cannot live as if they are disciples, and as if they want to pursue the life of heaven. Yet, he reminds them of something very powerful: you are not in the flesh- you are in the spirit.
While this might seem like a point that is a nicety or perhaps something ideal to think about, there is nonetheless a great truth here- because of the reality of life and death. If one lives in the spirit of God, Paul speaks about the reality of death- because the person who undergoes death will be attached to Christ- and will rise as well- and Christ will give life to those who have lived in the Spirit in Him. Thus, in Saint Paul’s own mind, this is a powerful and important point, because there is need of the life of Christ and life in Christ, not just now, but also in the life to come as well.
Finally, we arrive at the Gospel according to John, and the story of the death of Lazarus. At the beginning of the passage, it is said that Lazarus, a close friend to Jesus, was very ill- and they sent word to Jesus. Jesus hears this word- and says that the illness will not end in death, but will end in the glory of God- much like the man born blind last Sunday. Jesus was indeed good friends with them, but we are told that He stays in the place that He was in for two days, and then continues back to Judea, and continues to travel. It almost seems as if He takes on an indifferent attitude towards Lazarus, but eventually He goes back to find Lazarus had died four days prior. When He arrives with His disciples, He finds a scene filled with grief. Martha greets Him, and they dialogue about Lazarus and his own resurrection. There is a manifesting of faith on Martha’s part, though it is almost as if she is limited in what she is able to see. Even Mary, when she approaches- she tells Jesus the same thing- “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Notice something important here- how tender Jesus’s own heart is to Martha and Mary’s hearts. He sees her weeping and in turn his heart is “deeply troubled and perturbed.” He was affected very deeply by the sorrow that He saw in Martha and Mary- and that is not an inconsequential thing- but it is very powerful! Yet, Jesus knows what He is in this moment to do. He goes forward and calls out to Lazarus- even after four days, and tells him to come out of the tomb. Eventually, Lazarus does come out- and he is untied and set free. Even death has no hold on Lazarus- even in the point that Lazarus has experienced death himself. Through Jesus, he is still brought back to life- which is something truly remarkable- and it causes many to believe because it is such a powerful sign.
Yet, when it comes to living our own life, perhaps each of these readings can seem a bit difficult or distant. Perhaps we haven’t really thought about them as they apply to us, or perhaps they seem difficult to grapple with. How are we to understand death in a Christian way- and in a way that fills us with hope, and not with fear and anxiety?
First, we should understand that death is a reality that we will be faced with. So many times, when a loved one, whether a friend or family member, or even an acquaintance passes away, it often brings about unpleasant thoughts about our own lives- and the question of when our time to come home will be. Yet, that isn’t something for us to worry about on its own, but it is something to be aware of. If we don’t have an awareness of this- often we will put off to tomorrow what should have been done today.
Second, though, is that our Lord powerfully comes to us, even in the worst of moments- even at the brink of death. Notice, in the Gospel, and even in the first reading, there is not an end in the darkness of death. Yes, in both of these readings, there is a moment where they reflect on the grave- and that it is there, and is something they have to face. Yet, it isn’t the end. In Ezekiel, we hear about how graves will be opened, and people will rise from them! In John, we hear about how Lazarus was raised from the grave and was set free even from the snares of death. Thus, we understand, we live in the hope of resurrection- and that is a fundamental difference that our faith offers us. Often times, this world can get so focused on other things that it forgets to focus on life with God forever- and that is something truly marvelous!
Yet, the final thing is really more of an action point for each of us- and it comes from Saint Paul and his letter to the Romans- and it can be phrased in a question. What are each of us doing to live life in the Spirit? Saint Paul is very bold in speaking to the Romans about the reality of living in the Spirit- but this importantly comes down in a focus upon life as well- and not just in this life- but in the life to come as well. Do we need to focus on living in the spirit a little more? What is holding us back, or what has our attention when we need to surrender things and put them to the side, so that we can focus on Jesus just a little more each day?
My brothers and sisters, the readings and the Gospel don’t mince words- we have to face death in so many ways- but it is not the final end, nor does it have the final say. Rather what occurs is that we are to look forward as a people of hope- and a people of expectation as well. This springtime- we are surrounded by so many different signs of life and vitality as they happen all around us. Brothers and sisters, may we too not be intimidated nor afraid of death or even of dying, but rather may we look forward with the hope that we are provided with as a people of faith, so that we too may enjoy the realities of life- and even life beyond the grave!
