And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies, he will live. He says to Martha, 'I am the Resurrection and the Life. It is here, in the midst of the grief and the tears of Martha and Mary, that Jesus makes this wonderful proclamation of who he is. Lazarus has died, but Jesus hasn't rushed there, so that the works of God can be shown through him and the Father can be glorified. Jesus comes to Bethany, to the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus, whom he knew so well: a family where he was at home. On this Fifth Sunday of Lent, we have heard in today's Gospel the raising of Lazarus from the dead. And, in that, Jesus was tempted, but discovered in a new way the love of the Father and the grace of God in the ministering of the angels. We too rely on Jesus who comes to us and says, 'do not be afraid'. It's a place of cold nights, biting winds and very hot days. The desert is a harsh place, a place of isolation. We've been sent out into the desert because of this virus. Jesus went into the desert for forty days and forty nights to be tempted by the devil and to be ministered to by the angels. We want to be assembled with our communities again to celebrate the Mass and yet we find ourselves thrust out, thrown out into the desert.
We are longing to be at Mass with others, yearning to be in the church, wanting to see the consoling light of the Tabernacle lamp, telling us that Jesus is present in his Body and Blood. We are gathering together as families or alone. We are isolating ourselves because of the coronavirus pandemic. On the Fifth Sunday of Lent, we are gathering at home. In this video, Bishop John Sherrington reflects on Jesus' journey through the desert and the raising of Lazarus.
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