March 18, 2024
Paulist Fr. Rich Andre preached this homily for the 5th Sunday of Lent (Year A) on March 17, 2024 at the Paulist Center in Boston, MA. (Even though we are in Year B, we have elected to use the Year A readings for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent this year.) The homily is based on the Year A readings: Ezekiel 37:1-14; 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!
For example, 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.
We chose to use these readings again this year specifically for one person among us. Our elect will be baptized at the Easter Vigil in less than 2 weeks, and we are celebrating the Third (and final) Scrutiny with her this weekend. Although she radiates joy at the new life she is finding in Christ, you will never see us write her name in print or publish it online. Her baptism brings some risks for her in her native land, where she plans to return some day.
Even in times of darkness, God promises us 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 friends, not even Martha – has sufficient faith about God’s power over life and death, a power that Jesus shares with God.
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?
As someone who has served as a chaplain in hospital cardiac wards, I’ve journeyed with many people who have survived heart attacks. They are among the happiest, holiest people I’ve ever met. They’ve had 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.
The Paulist Center has been through something of a near-death experience in the past month, facing the real possibility that the Paulist Fathers wouldn’t be able to continue supporting the ministry here. But on Wednesday, the Paulists announced that they are renewing their commitment here! [Applause.] It may take several months before we know if I will continue as Director, if Rick becomes Director, or if someone else will become the Director. Such uncertainty is par for the course: even though I had been living at the Paulist Center since May 31 two years ago, Cardinal O’Malley only allowed us to announce my appointment as Director on June 24, and my first day on the job was less than 7 days after that!
As a community, we’re facing a choice like the resuscitated Lazarus. We can grouse about the continued uncertainty, we can keep going as we had before our near-death experience, or we can get excited about the opportunities for a new collaborative model with whoever the Director will be.
We have the opportunity to face the future boldly. The Paulist Center Community does a lot — a lot a lot — for a group that averages only 235 people coming to Mass each weekend, spread over 3 Masses. (It’s not much, but it’s double what we had 2 years ago.) What can we do to invite more people to join us? We have a fantastic mission and we do liturgy really well, but we don’t have the budget to do a big advertising campaign and the Beacon Hill Historical Commission won’t let us redesign the outside of the building. Many Paulist Center Community members tell me that they’re not comfortable inviting their friends and neighbors to come to Catholic Mass with them. We’ve all spent a lot of effort reviving wonderful ministries that had gone dormant during the pandemic, and members are always pushing to start new ministries to meet the signs of the times, but are we spreading ourselves too thin? We’re still maintaining lots of ministries that we began decades ago when our membership was several times bigger, when commuting and parking were easier and less expensive, and when a lot of us seemed to have more time and energy. All our ministries serve our mission of healing, inclusion, and justice, but I worry that our staff and all of you volunteers cannot maintain this frenetic pace without some strategic prioritization about who we want to be in the future.
The Holy Spirit continually calls us to make new beginnings, and there’s no better time than Lent. The word ‘Lent’ itself means ‘spring,’ and springtime is the embodiment of the Paschal mystery. After the deaths and winters of life, there is always rebirth. The trees have begun to bud. Soon, flowers will bloom. Love will abound.
Pay attention: the Pastoral Council will soon be calling for an all-community meeting to begin this re-prioritization process. Once we announce it, please clear your schedule and plan to join us for that meeting.
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.