March 23, 2026
Paulist Fr. Rich Andre preached this homily for the 5th Sunday of Lent (Year A) on March 22, 2026 at Old St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Chicago, IL. The homily is based on the readings of the day: Ezekiel 37:1-14 (longer than the lectionary-recommended 37:12-14); Psalm 130; Romans 8:8-11; and John 11:1-45.
Today, we hear some truly extraordinary scriptures about life, death, and life beyond death. They are bold. They are shocking. They witness to the power of faith and hope!
Our first reading speaks to the people of Judah at the lowest moment in their history. The nation has been defeated, Jerusalem and its temple have been destroyed, and the leaders have been taken away to Babylon in captivity. And it is in that foreign land at that time of desolation that Ezekiel receives his hair-raising vision of God’s renewal of the people. At last summer’s All-Staff Strategic Planning Meeting, we began our day praying with this very passage, reflecting on how it speaks to the community of Old St. Mary’s at this particular moment in our history. How does the reading speak to people around the world today, including those who live in the very places mentioned in our scriptures, as bombs and drones explode around them?
Even as we face the reality of death, we also sense the excitement of new life. Today, we will celebrate the Third (and final) Scrutiny with our three elect preparing for baptism. They will be joined by another 8 candidates in 13 days at the Easter Vigil, all completing their sacraments of initiation. Even in times of darkness, God promises us light, mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Thomas recognizes that we are called to die with Christ. Mary of Bethany recognizes that Christ’s presence gives life. Martha’s statements of faith have been repeated at funerals for nearly two thousand years.
Amazingly, though, Jesus is not satisfied with these faith statements. Despite what the crowd thinks, he does not weep over the friend he will soon restore to life. The original Greek is much stronger than the English translation. Jesus is not just “perturbed” or “troubled.” He is irritated, indignant, and even angry.
It’s not exactly clear why Jesus is angry, but it seems to be because no one – not the crowd, not his disciples, not even Martha – has sufficient faith about God’s power over life and death, a power that Jesus shares with the Father Almighty.
This story ends abruptly with the miracle. John tells us that many of the people present that day came to believe in Jesus, but we never learn how the faith of Mary, Martha, or even Lazarus was changed by the events of that day.
What did Lazarus do with the rest of his one wild and precious life? Did he live out his days with a new hope, like what had been promised to the people of Judah through the prophecy of Ezekiel? Or did he just make some half-hearted resolutions and find himself back in his old ruts, knowing that he would die again some day in the future?
I did some of my earliest chaplaincy work in the cardiac ward at Providence Hospital in Washington, DC. Amazingly, when you’re ministering to heart attack survivors in a place where 85% of patients come from Baptist, Pentecostal, or Holiness traditions, they will open up about their spiritual lives within 20 seconds of meeting you. They were among the happiest, holiest people I’d ever met. They had experienced a foretaste of what the rest of us Christians know only theoretically: you only live twice, and only the first of these lives is in this current reality. Those who have been revived on an operating table – as Lazarus was raised from the dead – realize that now is the time for new beginnings.
Two years ago, Old St. Mary’s went through something of a near-death experience, facing the real possibility that the Paulist Fathers wouldn’t be able to continue supporting the ministry here. But then the Paulists renewed their commitment to Old St. Mary’s, ushering in this current golden era. More people are attending Mass, our liturgies are more vibrant, the parish and the school are more united, we’ve hired excellent staff, more activities are happening, and our finances are becoming more stable. Those in leadership are ready to take the next steps. On Tuesday, I will talk with Bishop Bartosic about greater evangelization plans for the neighborhood. Even though the offertory collection is not yet sufficient to sustain doing so, the Finance Council will explore dipping into our reserve to hire two additional part-time employees to relieve our over-burdened staff, to better care for our buildings, and to better communicate about volunteer opportunities.
But as a community, we’re facing a choice like the resuscitated Lazarus. We can simply say, “This is great! Our community has a new lease on life!” or we can commit to making our community more sustainable, more outward-facing, more of whom Jesus calls us to be as members of his Body. To put it another way: we can either think of ourselves as individuals who come to Old St. Mary’s to be served, or we can think of ourselves together as leaders within this community, serving one another and those throughout the neighborhood.
In April, we hope to present you with a dizzying array of opportunities for you each to personally commit to making Old St. Mary’s a community of missionary disciples, together. We’ll be taking applications for 6 volunteers to join Fr. Dan and Coach Ramker in steering a new Social Concerns Council. We’ll be looking for new members for the Parish Pastoral Council and the Finance Council. We’ll continue our quest to increase the number of people serving as Eucharistic ministers, lectors, music ministers, and altar servers, and we hope to come up with more robust plans for ushers, greeters, and livestream coordinators. We hope to expand the number of people preparing and serving food after the Sunday morning Masses, as well as the number of ministers bringing communion to the sick and homebound. Most importantly, we hope to deepen the ranks of volunteers helping with Sunday Faith Formation activities, since Elise is unable to simultaneously facilitate Children’s Liturgy of the Word, prepare student ministers for Family Mass, coordinate OCIA, sub for absent catechists, and be chief of security.
Like Lazarus, we have the opportunity to face the future boldly. Old St. Mary’s does a lot for a community that averages only 680 people coming to Mass each weekend. (That’s about 67% more than we had in 2021, but it’s only 2/3 of what we had before the pandemic.) How can we invite more of our neighbors to join us?
The Holy Spirit continually calls us to make new beginnings, and there’s no better time than Lent. After the deaths and winters of life, there is always rebirth. Although there is always a possibility of more snow in the weeks ahead, the trees have begun to bud. Soon, flowers will bloom. Love will abound.
Let us pray:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. Give us the courage and the wisdom to sustain what should be strengthened, to let go of what should be grieved, and to labor with you to begin new works. And with us as your instruments, Holy Spirit, you shall renew the face of the earth! Amen.
April Greer, Principal of Old St. Mary’s School, proclaimed Ezekiel 37:1-14 at the 11 am Mass on March 22, 2026.