No matter how dead we may feel, the Lord is calling us to life now and forever! Trust the Lord!
Happy Sunday in Passiontide!
Our 5th Sunday in Lent brings us to the end of our Lenten Season 2026. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. Our Gospel Portion this week leads us into the mystery of the Passion. It is St. John’s Gospel 11:1-45, and we will concentrate on
“The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go’.”
John 11:44
Our Gospel Portion is the Raising of Lazarus. We know that this miracle comes toward the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. It was dangerous for Jesus to come to Bethany because it was only two miles outside of Jerusalem. It was where the Jewish leadership was, and they wanted to eliminate Jesus. Jesus was a threat to their way of life. He questioned much of their understanding and practice of the Law.
The Holy Siblings, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, were like family to Jesus; He loved them dearly. Lazarus died, and Jesus called him to life after being dead for four days. This event had many witnesses, and many conversions to Jesus’ way of life occurred there. However, there is a message for us to take for ourselves this Lent: be set free!
Sometimes I feel spiritually dead. So many things are happening in the world that seem to force me into a cocoon. It is not a good place to be, and people need me to be present to them. When I see myself turning inward to avoid the outside craziness, I call on Jesus, and He sets me free, and I can help others be free too!
Jesus can and will break what holds us down, but our job is to turn toward Him and be free, regardless of the circumstances in the world.
When Jesus set you free, you are free indeed! (See St. John 8:36)
Have a blessed and fruitful Passiontide!
Pax. The Hermit of Peace.
Hermitage of Peace 