Fifth of Lent of Year A
March 2008
Today, as we near the time of Easter, the liturgy takes a quick preview of the Easter Mystery.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago it wasn’t the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth or his miracles or his presence among them for such a long time, that impelled his followers to give their lives to the living and preaching of the Gospel message. It was the Easter ‘experience’ of the Risen Lord which was the dynamic force which impelled them to do what they did.
So today, the Church gives us a glimpse or a ‘sneak preview’ of the Easter Mystery.
A bit like, having booked your August holiday early; by June you are wondering if August will ever come, and so you raise your hopes by reading your holiday brochures again.
So today we take a quick look ahead to the promise of Easter; The promise of Resurrection and Eternal Life.
I think that to be a committed Christian I need some sort of an Easter Experience.
I need to experience the Risen Lord in some way. I need to experience, in some way, the power, love, care and forgiveness of God in my life.
This kind of experience generally comes later in life when the bubbles of personal ambition, self fulfilment, self confidence, and immortality have been burst and I realise a need for more than this life can offer.
It is only when I begin to realise my vulnerability and the vulnerability of those I love and depend on, that I am open to an experience of the Risen Lord.
So in today’s liturgy we have a preview of the great hope and promise of Easter.
Ezekiel: ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live.’
Romans: ‘If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.’
John: ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’
Ok. Do you believe this?