Fifth Friday of Lent

So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.”

—John 11:41–44

Once the stone is rolled away, Jesus gets to work. First, he thanks God the Father. Jesus attributes every success to his ever-loving, ever-listening Father. While God has heard his plea, his act of raising Lazarus back to earthly life confirms the even greater truth that God will one day raise to eternal life all who believe and trust in him.

Every disciple is called to share with others the new life they have received by believing in Jesus— not because they could die tomorrow but because we want to offer them new life in Christ.

 

Spend time in prayer today thanking and praising God for a recent success or accomplishment, and acknowledging your dependence on his power and timing.

 This reflection from Messages of Trust for Lent, originally published by Ave Maria Press, was reprinted with permission of the authors, Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran. For more parish resources, visit https://www.rebuiltparish.com/.

Responsorial psalms are excerpted from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Other scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.