Reflection for March 22 Fifth Sunday of Lent: John 11:1-45

Gospel: John 11:1-45

Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. So the sisters sent word to him saying, "Master, the one you love is ill."

When Jesus heard this he said, "This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was.

Then after this he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?" Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in a day? If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." He said this, and then told them, "Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him." So the disciples said to him, "Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved." But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep.

So then Jesus said to them clearly, "Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him." So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go to die with him." When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise." Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world." When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, "The teacher is here and is asking for you." As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and went to him.

For Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still where Martha had met him. So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Sir, come and see." And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him." But some of them said, "Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?"

So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him, "Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?" 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."

Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him.

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Reflection:

The story is told of a middle-aged woman who lived in fear of death; even the mere mention of it would make her tremble. But one day, she encountered a Gospel passage that spoke about the beautiful friendship of Jesus with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. From that moment on, something began to change within her. She slowly opened her heart to know Jesus more—through reading the Bible, especially the Gospels, and through her faithful participation in Holy Mass.

In our present time, we too find ourselves surrounded by uncertainty. The wars happening in Iran and in other parts of the Middle East, as well as the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, remind us how fragile life can be. Naturally, we feel worry and concern, knowing that these events may affect us in ways we cannot fully control. In moments like these, fear can easily find its way into our hearts.

Yet, in this Sunday’s Gospel, we are reminded of something deeper and more powerful than fear—the profound and personal friendship between Jesus and Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. When Lazarus died, the sisters were filled with sorrow and grief. But Jesus came to them—not only to comfort them, but to reveal something greater: that He is present even in our darkest moments, and that His love is stronger than death itself.

When Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave, He revealed to us a powerful truth: that death is not the end. There is life beyond the grave. There is hope. There is resurrection. But this hope is not something distant or abstract—it is found in a living relationship with Him. It is through our friendship with Jesus that we come to share in His promise of eternal life.

So today, we are gently invited to deepen our friendship with the Lord. Let us come closer to Him—through our faithful participation in Holy Mass, through our daily reading of Scripture, and through a sincere and prayerful conversation with Him. These are not mere religious practices; they are pathways that lead us into a real and transforming relationship with Jesus.

Let us pause and imagine: if we truly walk as friends of Jesus, we are never alone. In our most difficult and darkest moments, He is there. When we feel weak, He strengthens us. When we are lost, He guides us. When we are afraid, He holds us close and reminds us that we are His.

In the midst of these troubling times and uncertainties, let us hold firmly to this truth: our Lord Jesus Christ is always with us. No war, no fear, no uncertainty can separate us from His love. If we truly believe in Him and nurture our friendship with Him, then our hearts can find a peace that the world cannot give.

As it is written in Scripture: “Everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

In the face of fear and uncertainty, are we choosing to draw closer to Jesus and deepen our friendship with Him—or are we allowing our fears to distance us from the very One who is our hope, our life, and our resurrection? —Marino J. Dasmarinas