Fifth Sunday of Lent

JPII Shrine, 3900 Harewood Road NE – Washington, D.C. 20017

March 21, 2021 John 11:1-45

Today we celebrate the fifth Sunday of Lent and in the Gospel according to John Jesus is portrayed dealing with Lazarus’ illness, death and grief. And this is more than enough to make Jesus very close to us, especially during these hard times. But even during these hard times Jesus bestows upon us a blessing that we cannot buy, we cannot click on the web, we cannot produce: friendship.

Friendship plays a great role in Jesus’ life: when we talk about Bethany, we are talking about Jesus hanging out with Lazarus, Martha, Mary, praying together, sharing a good meal cooked by Martha, – and let me tell you – resting and having fun with them, and also, as today’s Gospel teaches us, getting through illness and even death.

Dear brothers and sisters, it’s time to ask Jesus for a friend, a true friend, a friend in Him. Seize the opportunity. Jesus, what should I do? How my friends and I can be your friends? This Gospel helps us twice.

And in this reciprocity Jesus will say Lazarus / Melissa / Kyle / Patricia / … come out: this is the promise of resurrection. Resurrection in not a matter of loneliness, let’s move forward to heaven with our friends!

First just consider this verse. “If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.” Jesus spoke from experience; he probably spent many times taking a walk with Lazarus. In other words, a friend is a path of light, of course if we open our circle of friendship to Christ, if He becomes our Center, our Light. When we walk on the path of life, the friend is always on our side, I am not saying a friend is a yes-man or a flatterer, on the contrary a friend is a wingman. There is a famous quote by C.S. Lewis. He said a friend boils down to a single question: “do you care about the same truth?” That’s why a friend is on our side, even if we stray from the way, he points out the right direction. In short, the friend is on our side, we are side by side, because we are looking at the same horizon: Christ!

Second there is a dialog between Jesus and Martha and Mary. The two sisters spoke very frankly to Jesus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died”. A question arises here: am I used to talking about faith with my friends? Faith is a matter of life, so it should foster our friendship. Take the opportunity to talk about faith with friends. Indeed, it is the same encouraging experience described by Saint John Henry Newman, quote: Cor ad cor loquitur, heart speaks to heart, end quote. What is ment by heart speaks to heart?

What is the Gospel if not sharing the good news? The more we open our hearts to a friend, the more the Holy Spirit lights the fire of faith within us, warm our hearts. Little by little we experience that what we are made of, our friend is made for. in short, our friend is the best of us.

And in this reciprocity Jesus will say Lazarus / Melissa / Kyle / Patricia / … come out: this is the promise of resurrection. Resurrection in not a matter of loneliness, let’s move forward to heaven with our friends!