5th Sunday of Lent Year A Rasing of Lazarus 2026

“Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” (Ga 11, 27 )

The story of Lazarus inspires gentle wonder. St John introduces us to a man wrapped in the stillness of death, hidden in the dark of a sealed tomb. Yet into that silence there comes a voice filled with love. A voice that knows his name. A voice that dares to speak life where life has ended. It says “Come out!” And Lazarus does!

Perhaps we have heard this story so often that its wonder has become familiar. But imagine for a moment hope breathing again where hope had stopped, and light touching a face that thought it would never see morning.

Sr Macrina Wiederkehr, might whisper that every day holds a small resurrection. A quiet rising. The morning light that pushes its way through our curtains. The forgiveness we thought was out of  reach. The courage to begin again after messing up. Death and rising hide in the corners of ordinary days, so familiar we forget to kneel in awe before them.

Emmanuel d'Alzon encourages us to “go forward with courage and faith not counting the cost when love is asked of us, not shrinking back when the road grows steep, but trusting that God walks before us in every unknown place. It is not we who carry the light alone, but Christ....”

Saint Augustine of Hippo adds, "The resurrection of Christ is our hope, for in Him death is not the end but the doorway to new life. What was buried in weakness is raised in glory, and in this promise we learn to trust that God brings life out of every tomb.”

Too easily we mumble those truths instead of living them with all our hearts.

Thank you, God, for the miracle of being alive: for breath that rises and falls, for friendships that lift us, for a faith brave enough to trust even when the stone seems too heavy to move. Faith teaches us that nothing is ordinary. Every person is sacred. Every life is a fragile, shining gift. In believing this deeply, we will start to live differently. Gentler. Braver. Kinder. We not only admire life; we protect it.

The resurrection calls us outward: to mend what is broken, to stand against harm, to work for peace in a world that desperately needs it. If Christ calls the dead to life, then we must defend life wherever it trembles.

One day Sam found a tiny fallen bird. He wanted to keep it, but his grandmother said, "Love does not hold too tightly." Together they cared for it until it grew strong enough to fly. When it left, Sam felt sad. "Did we lose it?" he asked. "No,"she said, "we helped it live." And from that day Sam treated everyone – friends, strangers, even grumpy neighbours – as precious and on loan from God.

Lord of life, wake us up. Make us people of wonder. Help us notice the miracles beneath our feet. Teach us to honour everyone with dignity, reverence, respect, and joy, until all creation sings with full-hearted wonder.

By Fr. Thomas O'Brien a.a.