5th Sunday of Lent
By Deacon Dick Kostner
We have all heard the story told in today’s gospel where Jesus raises Lazarus up from the dead after he has been dead for days. Today I would like to comment on the fact that Jesus cried after Mary calls him out for not coming to heal him when he knew he was very ill. I believe we need to focus on the fact that Jesus was struggling with his upcoming time to die and how his followers would react to his death. Jesus spent his entire life teaching the people that if they believed in him and followed his teachings that death would not be permanent. His followers watched him doing many miracles including healing people who were dying. But here he was with his close friends who knew him and believed in him crying because they felt he abandoned them in their time of need causing one of their family to die. I believe Jesus cried because Mary and family failed to trust in him on what he had been teaching his whole life. That he is married and committed to his Church which has assumed the responsibility of being his representative human body for people to go for spiritual help and support during our earthly existence until the end of time. This would be proved out by his resurrection from death on Easter Sunday. Death would not end but rather would only be a temporary state of the body sleeping, until the end of time where body and soul would once again be reunited and joined in heaven with Jesus.
During our earthly life we will experience many dark days where we will be confused and seek need to see and be consoled by the Light of Christ. Jesus, when he ascended into heaven, left us a gift of light. His very Holy Spirit which I have previously referred to as being a flashlight given as a gift to all his baptized followers. This light source is powered by and through the Sacraments he gifted his followers and through his bride the Church, his very human body representative. This representative is given the power to work miracles when we are confused and experiencing times of darkness. This representative has skin on, and will provide to those in need, a hug and wisdom to help us charge our flashlight so that we may once again gain safe travel during dangerous dark days.
Our Parish has these last couple of months experienced death of some of our parish elder disciples of Jesus who had always shown us the face of Christ when we were experiencing darkness. Yes there were some tears but there was also many smiles coming from their family when their flashlights were being charged by St. Paul’s and St. John’s representatives of Christ hugs and prayers. I don’t think that Jesus had to shed a tear over these people, but rather gave them a smile and a thumbs up for being present for those people he so loved, and doing their job of being the Light of Christ during times of darkness.
We are about to begin the holiest days of our faith. It is during these days that we are asked to check our flashlights to be sure they are fully charged to handle the dark days that will discharge our batteries when we are called to help ourselves and the people we are called to help during their dark days. There will always be illness; family struggles of addiction, divorces, mental illness, death, and struggles making ends meet. All of these will require our looking for help from others in recharging a tired flashlight so that we can see the Light of Christ and our future. It is through prayer and the Church that we will gain access to Jesus who will lighten up our dark days.
It is this time of year that I feel privileged as a deacon, to be able to share the Light of Christ with my brothers and sisters of faith at the Easter Vigil. It is in the total darkness that I will share Christ’s Light to help our parishioners discharge the darkness they will encounter the next year by getting their “flashlights” charged. It begins when the Easter candle is lit at the back of a dark church from a fire. From this candle, candles held by all the parishioners are lit by servers and the parishioners who share their light with their neighbor while the deacon proclaims the “Light of Christ” as he advances to the front of the Church. Soon we see the darkness overcome by the Body of Christ candles until darkness no longer exists and the scripture readings begin with the Easter Candle proclaiming for all to see and proclaim, “The darkness of death is over for ‘He has risen.‘” I wish to leave you with something to ponder for this upcoming Easter Sunday.
WHY WE NEED JESUS BY THE “COUNTRY DISCIPLE”
He is Love, Peace, Joy and fullness of life that we were created to need. It’s the most loving thing that we could possibly do because He’s the only one who can meet those core human needs.
Wishing all of you a light filled and blessed Easter Experience!
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