Léon Bonnat [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
“With
the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.” ~ Psalm 130
“In today’s
Gospel — the raising of Lazarus — we listen to the voice of faith from the lips
of Martha, Lazarus’ sister. Jesus said to her: “Your brother will rise again,”
and she replies: “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the
last day” (Jn 11:23-24). But Jesus repeats: “I am the resurrection and the
life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (Jn 11:25-26).
This is the true newness which abounds and exceeds every border! Christ pulls
down the wall of death and in him dwells all the fullness of God, who is life,
eternal life. Therefore death did not have power over him and the raising of
Lazarus is a sign of his full dominion over physical death which, before God,
resembles sleep (cf. Jn 11:11).”
“However there
is another death, which cost Christ the hardest struggle, even the price of the
Cross: it is spiritual death and sin which threaten to ruin the existence of
every human being. To overcome this death, Christ died and his Resurrection is
not a return to past life, but an opening to a new reality, a “new land” united
at last with God’s Heaven. Therefore St Paul writes: “If the Spirit of him who
raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from will
give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Rom
8:11).”
“Dear brothers
and sisters, let us turn to the Virgin Mary, who previously shared in this
Resurrection, so that she may help us to say faithfully: “Yes, Lord; I believe
that you are the Christ, the Son of God” (Jn 11:27), to truly discover that he
is our salvation.”
From
the Angelus message of Pope Benedict XVI, April 10th, 2011, Fifth
Sunday of Lent
April 2, 2017 - Fifth Sunday of Lent
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