Breaking Free

Breaking Free

"Unbind him and let him go." John 11.44

Gospel of the Fifth Sunday of Lent (Third Scrutiny):  John 11.1-45

I had the good fortune to be by a television on Wednesday when "Habemus Papem!" was announced.

It was quite an emotional moment. Thunderous applause and cheering from the people gathered in St. Peter's Square, followed by a confused hushed when the prefect continued:

Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum,
Dominum Georgium Marium
Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Bergoglio

qui sibi nomen imposuit Franciscum 

Who? Who is Cardinal Bergoglio? He was not one of the front-runners! 

Then the cheering grew when it became apparent that the Holy Spirit had directed the College of Cardinals to do what the Holy Spirit always does- surprise us! And what a surprise- a South American of Italian descent, 77 years old, a Jesuit who chooses the name Francis...

And whose first words as Pope were "Brothers and Sisters, good evening!"

We are so foolish! Why are we so bound by our preconceived notions of what the Church should do, or who our Shepherd should be? Can we not be free to trust in the Holy Spirit who always guides the Church, even in times of struggle and darkness?

Binding and freedom 

are two themes found in this past Sunday's Gospel. I chose the Gospel of the Third Scrutiny, although the other Gospel (John 8 1-11, the story of the adulterous woman) has those themes as well. 

John 11.1-45 begins with the news that Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus, had taken seriously ill. Jesus decides to wait until Lazarus has been dead for three days ( note the symbol) until he decides to go to Bethany in Judea. At this point the disciples, with their preconceived notions of Jesus, assumed that he would have gone to see his friend sooner to cure him. Some must have thought that Jesus delayed because he was afraid of going to Judea.

Jesus tries to unbind their thinking. He was going to raise Lazarus as a sign of the  Father's glory,  not because Lazarus was a personal friend.

And he would do it at the risk of his own persecution.

As the story continues, it is clear that Martha, Mary and the onlookers were bound by their expectations of Jesus. "Where was he? He could have saved him."

Jesus weeps.

 Usually the explanation for the weeping Jesus is that he is showing his humanity for the loss of a friend. I think that is only part of it. Perhaps Jesus also weeps in frustration that, after so many signs and wonders, the people need to see someone raised from the dead. And even after that, there will be rejection of the Son of God. John may also be reflecting Jesus' agony in the garden, which is not detailed in his account of the Passion but placed here in the context of the death and resuscitation of Lazarus.

The Call

 Jesus, as He always did, prays to the Father before acting. His prayer, directed to the Father, asks that His will be done, not for Lazarus, and not even for Jesus. Jesus asks that the will of the Father be done "for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me (John 11.42).

Jesus then says two things:

First, to Lazarus: "Come out!"

Secondly, to the crowd: "Unbind him and let him go free!"

The sign of the raising of Lazarus, is not about a special privilege of a close friend that Jesus had in Bethany. This is about the special privilege we have of hearing the call of Jesus. In order to hear that (loud) call, we need to be unbound, free of our sinfulness, and our preconceptions, biases and prejudices. We need to be set free of our egos. And we need to trust in the Holy Spirit who continues to pour out the graces we received in Baptism and Confirmation. We will be set free through our participation in the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist.

As we enter a new moment in the life of the Church, let us be open to the light of the Holy Spirit, who brings us ever closer to the Father through our life in Christ Jesus.

For this week...

If you are work in a Catholic school...

Many of the Catholic school districts will be having march break during Holy Week, so this will be the last week before the glorious Triduum. Make sure you take the time with your students to explore a few of the many beautiful signs and symbols around Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. If you are getting ready to welcome new members into the Church, get to know them. Have your students write cards of encouragement as the elect and the candidates begin their new lives in Christ.

For all of us...

• Ask the Holy Spirit to keep you open to the Father's will. 
• Get to know Pope Francis, not from the secular media, but through his own words. Read his first homilies and speeches on the Vatican web site:http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm 

Blessings and Peace

Michael