Reflection from Fr. John on the Gospel of John 11:1-45 for 5th Sunday Lent

There’s a moment in Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” when the hero Frodo says to his mentor Gandalf, “I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.” None of us wish this had happened: The Virus; The stay at home order; the closing of businesses & schools.

Martha and Mary had wished none of it had happened—the death of their brother Lazarus. Now they find themselves standing before the Tomb. In this hour we find ourselves in a not too different place from Martha and Mary. Like them, we are standing before the forces of death. That is true especially for those who are dealing with the sickness of a loved one, isolation or the loss job/income.

Martha and Mary had sent the message to Jesus, “The one you love is ill.” Lazarus dies before Jesus comes. It’s not hard to imagine Lazarus getting a virus, catching pneumonia, finding it hard to breath, getting sepsis and dying. We hear those stories today. And, like Frodo, none of wish this had happened.

Gandalf replies to Frodo, “So do all who live to see such times.” And so do we who are living in such a time. Like Martha and Mary, we stand before the Tomb of dark places in our lives/world. But it’s not just Lazarus who is entombed, Martha and Mary are entombed in their grief.

Our houses are not tombs, but the “Shelter in Place” order, the order to stay at home can make them feel like tombs when we are afraid to go out. Those who live alone and have no human contact know what it’s like to be in a tomb.

Martha says to Jesus, “If only…” We can find ourselves thinking in this situation saying, “If only…” But it’s not just in this situation. It happens when we look back on our mistakes, times we have hurt those we love—we think “If only…” “If only” can entomb us in a dark place if we keep thinking/repeating “if only…”

Martha does not live there. She does not stay there. She moves beyond that, expressing her faith saying, “Yet even now…” Martha moves from hopelessness to trusting in Jesus by saying “Yet even now…” During this time of crisis, of staying at home, the voice of Martha invites us to move from “if only…” to “Even now…” believing that God thru Jesus will bring us to life.

Gandalf says to Frodo, “There are forces at work in this world beside the forces of evil.” It is believing “Even now…,” that there are forces of goodness and life at work in these darkest of hours that will give us hope. Hope lies in believing that Jesus is at work in our lives just as He was in the life of Martha and Mary and Lazarus. It’s believing that Jesus is calling us to “Come out,” as He did Lazarus. Like Lazarus, Jesus is calling us to come to life, to step out of the darkness into the light.

One preacher spoke about, “How little hope we need.” This Gospel and the voice of Jesus offers us more than a little hope. It reminds us that Jesus is always calling us to life.

There’s a poem titled, “Won’t you Celebrate with Me.” After the raising of Lazarus, I can just imagine Martha and Mary saying to their friends “Won’t you celebrate with me.” The poet writes, “Every day something has tried to kill me and has failed.” That’s true for Lazarus and us. We need to say to the world, “Won’t you celebrate with me.” Right now we need to celebrate at home with our families the life that Jesus is calling us to, until the day we can come together as a parish family and celebrate.

On a personal note: I miss seeing your faces and the faces of your children, but until that time trust that I am keeping you in prayer to God who is holding us together until this passes.