Our readings this Sunday speak of promises. In our first reading, Ekekiel is offering the Jewish people words of hope spoken by the Lord after disastrous happenings in their times: "I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD." The people are promised that the Lord will open their graves and they will live, not just in the hereafter, but right then. How many people today face the emptiness of life, perhaps one that feels like a grave, from personal circumstances or from the literal facing of the grave of a loved one or their own imminent death ? The answer is too many to count! Newspapers and the media reveal so many stories of tragedy . We wonder how some people are able to move about in what appears to be a lose-lose situation day after day. The age-old question is how can people deal with horrible events and still live in hope?
The Gospel story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is a familiar one and one that has layers and layers of meaning. The delay of Jesus going to the village, we are told, is to allow the work of God to be shown to all. I wonder how Martha and Mary dealt with the delay, believers that they were !? The timing of God fulfilling His promises is something that always intrigues me. I seem to wait a lot, but I wait with a strong hopefulness, I think like Martha and Mary, because, as we read/heard recently, "hope does not disappoint." The deep pain we might feel in our lives, however, is not usually remedied immediately by a miracle. Again, how do people manage this waiting with deep pain without falling into deep discouragement?
Would that I knew the answer or even a highly probable approximation !! Instead, I like many others, hold fast to what I have received and try to practice in faith. I believe God initiates immeasurable blessings, both known and unknown to us. The second reading from Romans tells us of the incredible powerfulness of the Spirit at work within us, even if our body is dead because of sin. I understand this to mean both as we and others are still living and when we or others die. Any repentance on our part during our life time is directly attributable to God's initiated grace rather than anything of our own doing. Our reliance on God, therefore, must be absolute. To me, that means in our daily struggles and pain and in the inevitable battles we might have against personal sin including the sins of apathy and despair. The Spirit of God dwells within each of us through Baptism and Confirmation and we receive the Lord anew each time we receive the Eucharist. Those graces are at work in us, always !!!
The approximate answer to my own question is wrapped up in the Mystery of God's understanding of grace, mercy, righteousness, and "fullness of redemption" (from today's psalm). We believe that Jesus conquered sin and even death by His own death and resurrection. Even Jesus was "perturbed and deeply troubled" as He saw in Lazarus's death a glimpse of His own imminent passion and death. Let us, like Jesus, connect with the Father as we face those unsettling times in our lives, whatever they may be, and remember our heritage. As the baptized who have died with Christ, we too, shall live with Him. Let us trust that the Lord will make our living happen more joyfully in this life as we look forward to the next. Let us pray for the grace to share this kind of hope in the Lord's promises with others, too, as they journey through the unexpected and sometimes tragic events of life.
(Comments to Lanie at lanieleblanc@mindspring.com.)