5th Sunday of Lent

To The Lenten Pilgrims of Epiphany 

Christ Stands at the Tomb of Humanity: From Tears to Life, Christ Calls Lazarus 

(Fifth Sunday of Lent, John 11:1-45, 22 March 2026) 

The Gospel passage of this Fifth Sunday of Lent is that of the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11: 1-45). Lazarus was the brother of Martha and Mary; they were good friends of Jesus. When He arrives in Bethany, Lazarus has already been dead for four days; Martha runs towards the Master and says to Him: If you had been here, my brother would not have died! (John 11:21). Jesus replies to her: Your brother will rise again (John 11:23) and adds: I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die (John 11:25). Jesus makes Himself seen as the Lord of life, He Who is capable of giving life even to the dead. Then Mary and other people arrive, all in tears, and so Jesus – the Gospel says: was deeply moved in spirit and troubled: Jesus wept (John 11:33-35). With this turmoil in his heart, He has the tomb opened and cries aloud: Lazarus, come out! (John 11:43). And Lazarus emerges with his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face (John 11:44). (Pope Francis, Angelus, 2018) 

The Human Cry in the Face of Death-The Gospel of this Fifth Sunday of Lent presents us with one of the most moving episodes in the life of Jesus: the resurrection of Lazarus. In Bethany lived Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus—close friends of Jesus. When Lazarus falls ill and dies, grief fills the household. By the time Jesus arrives, Lazarus has already been in the tomb for four days. 

Martha runs to meet Him with words that express both faith and sorrow: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died (John 11:21). These words echo the universal human experience. When suffering and loss enter our lives, we often ask similar questions: Where was God? Why did this happen? Martha’s cry is not merely a complaint; it is the voice of a heart that still hopes. Even in grief, faith seeks understanding. As Saint Augustine once observed, the human heart is restless until it rests in God. In the presence of death, the human soul instinctively turns toward the One who alone can give life. 

Anecdote: The Child Who Called His Father-A touching story is told about a little boy who had lost his father at a young age. One evening he visited the cemetery with his mother. As the sun was setting, the cemetery grew quiet and dim, and the rows of gravestones seemed cold and silent. The boy stood before his father’s grave for a long moment. Then, in the simplicity of a child’s heart, he said softly: Dad, if you can hear me, please come out. I miss you. His mother gently knelt beside him and said: My son, your father cannot come out now. But one day, when Jesus calls, he will rise again. Years later that boy remembered that moment and said: It was the first time I understood what Christians mean when they say that death is not the end. We are waiting for a voice. That voice is the voice of Christ. 

In the Gospel of Lazarus, Jesus stands before the tomb and cries out: Lazarus, come out! The same voice that once called a dead man from the grave is the voice that will one day call every human being from death into life. The Christian hope rests precisely in this promise: that the final word over our lives will not be spoken by death, but by Christ, the Lord of Life. 

Christ Reveals the Mystery of Life-Jesus answers Martha with a promise that transcends ordinary expectations: Your brother will rise again (John 11:23). Martha interprets this as the resurrection at the end of time; a belief already presents in Jewish tradition. But Jesus reveals something far greater: I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even though he dies, will live (John 11:25). This statement is one of the most profound theological declarations in the Gospel of John. Jesus does not merely speak about resurrection; He identifies Himself as its source. Resurrection is not simply an event in the future—it is a person standing before Martha. 

Philosophically speaking, every human being longs for permanence beyond the limits of mortality. Human existence seeks meaning that transcends the grave. In Christ, this longing finds its answer. He reveals that life is not ultimately defined by biological survival but by communion with God. 

The Tears of God-One of the most striking moments in the Gospel is the shortest verse in Scripture: Jesus wept (John 11:35). This simple phrase reveals the depth of divine compassion. Jesus is not indifferent to human suffering. The God revealed in Christ is not distant or impassive. He enters into the sorrow of humanity and shares its tears. 

In philosophical terms, this moment reveals the profound truth that love always suffers with the beloved. Where there is genuine love, there is also vulnerability. The Incarnation shows us a God who is not detached from human pain but who participates in it. The tears of Jesus tell us that God does not stand outside our tragedies; He walks through them with us. 

The Voice That Breaks the Silence of the Tomb-Standing before the tomb, Jesus asks that the stone be removed. Martha hesitates, reminding Him that Lazarus has been dead for four days. Human reason sees only the finality of death. But Jesus lifts His voice and cries out: Lazarus, come out! (John 11:43). With these words, the silence of death is broken. The command of Christ penetrates the darkness of the tomb, and Lazarus emerges alive, still wrapped in burial cloths. 

This moment reveals the divine authority of Jesus. The same Word through whom all things were created now calls life out of death. The tomb cannot resist the voice of the Creator. In a deeper sense, this command is addressed not only to Lazarus but to every human being. Christ calls us out of the many forms of spiritual death that imprison the human heart—despair, sin, indifference, and fear. 

A Sign Pointing Toward Easter-The raising of Lazarus is not merely a miracle; it is a sign pointing toward the greater mystery that will soon unfold in Jerusalem. Shortly after this event, Jesus Himself will enter the darkness of death. But unlike Lazarus, who returned to ordinary life and would eventually die again, Christ will rise in a glorified and definitive resurrection. The miracle of Bethany therefore prepares us for Easter. It reveals that death does not have the final word over human destiny. As Saint Paul later proclaims: Death has been swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54). The resurrection of Lazarus is a preview of the greater victory that Christ will accomplish through His own death and resurrection. 

Hearing the Call Today-This Gospel invites us to reflect on the tombs that may exist in our own lives. Sometimes these tombs are made of fear, disappointment, resentment, or spiritual fatigue. They are places where hope seems buried. Yet Christ stands before those tombs today just as He stood before the tomb of Lazarus. His voice still echoes through history: Come out. 

Lent is precisely the season in which we hear that call. It is a time to allow Christ to roll away the stones that imprison our hearts and to restore life where death seemed to reign. 

Cumulative Summary-The Gospel of the raising of Lazarus (John 11:1–45) reveals both the depth of human sorrow and the power of divine hope. Martha’s cry — Lord, if you had been here —expresses the universal human struggle to understand suffering and death. Yet Jesus responds with a revelation that transforms the horizon of human existence: I am the resurrection and the life. In Christ, resurrection is not merely a future promise but a living reality, for He is the Lord of life who possesses authority even over death. 

At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus shares the tears of humanity— Jesus wept —showing that God does not remain distant from our suffering but enters into it with compassion. When He commands: Lazarus, come out, the silence of the tomb is broken and life returns where death seemed final. This miracle foreshadows the greater victory of Easter, when Christ Himself will conquer death forever. The anecdote of the child who calls to his father at the grave reminds us that the human heart waits for a voice stronger than death. Christian faith proclaims that such a voice exists—the voice of Christ, who calls every person from darkness into life. Therefore, the story of Lazarus invites us to trust that no tomb is too sealed, no despair too deep, and no life beyond the reach of the One who is truly the Resurrection and the Life. 

Concluding Words: The Lord of Life-The story of Lazarus reminds us that Jesus is not merely a teacher of moral wisdom. He is the Lord of Life. He stands before every tomb of human existence with the authority of divine love. 

Where the world sees only endings, Christ reveals beginnings. Where humanity sees only death, Christ proclaims life. And so, as we approach Holy Week, the question Jesus asked Martha becomes our own: Do you believe this? To believe is to trust that no darkness is too deep for the light of Christ. No grave is too sealed for His voice. And no human life is beyond the reach of His power to give life again. 

Fraternally, 
Fr. John Peter Lazaar SAC, Pastor