Ezekiel begins: “O my people…” He reminds the
Israelites of the very foundation of their faith: God always takes the
initiative and chooses them first. They were like dry bones, scattered abroad,
but he knit them together and raised them up. God always takes the initiative
with us, too. We are a people, not held together by our own likes and dislikes,
but by the hands of our heavenly Father. We belong to Jesus. His Spirit dwells
in us. The heart of Jesus embraces his closest friends and disciples without shunning
those leaders who wanted to see him dead.
Ezekiel continues, "I will open your graves and have
you rise from them.” What a word of hope, for the Israelites and for us. Perhaps these words filled the heart of Jesus as he approached the tomb of
Lazarus. He trusted in his Father to bring Lazarus back and in doing so to
glorify both himself and his Son. As opposed to the fear of death that holds so
many people in its clutches, Jesus’ mission is to banish that fear by passing
through death with us. The heart of Jesus is a heart filled with hope, a hope
that cries out, “O my people, come out to my side!”
Ezekiel then remarks, "...thus you shall know that I am
the Lord." It is a call to faith. Jesus had to do the same even with his
closest friends. To Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will
see the glory of God?” To the disciples, “Lazarus has died. And I am glad for
you that I was not there, that you may believe.” And to all the people standing
at Lazarus’ tomb, “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.” Jesus could become exasperated when he encountered a lack of
understanding and unbelief, but he pressed forward. His heart could not rest
until all those standing near recognized the glory of God.
Ezekiel concludes, “I have promised, and I will do
it, says the Lord.” Everything depends on God’s promise, his promise of
faithful love. If we want to know the essence of what lies in the heart of
Jesus, it is this. John puts it this way: “He loved his own in the world and he
loved them to the end.”
Photograph by Father Emmanuel. Excerpts from Father Vincent's homily for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year A.
