Homily 5th Sunday of Lent Year A I Homily 22 March 2026 Year A

 22 Mar Ezekiel 37:12-14; Romans 8:8-11, John 11:1-45

My dear friends, on this Fifth Sunday of Lent in Year A, as we draw closer to Holy Week,

today’s readings invite us to reflect on God’s power to restore and renew us. Even when hope

feels buried. Even when faith feels fragile.

The prophet Ezekiel spoke to the people of Israel during the time of the Babylonian Exile in

the 6th century BC. Jerusalem had been destroyed, the Temple was gone, and the people felt

abandoned, hopeless, and cut off from God. They described themselves as dry bones.

Lifeless. Without a future. In this dark moment, God speaks through Ezekiel words of

promise and restoration. In the reading, God promises to open the graves of His people and

bring them back to life. This is not about individual resurrection alone, but about the

restoration of Israel as a community. God assures them that exile is not the end. By placing

His Spirit within them, God will give them new life and bring them back to their own land.

What seems dead and impossible to humans is never beyond God’s power. As we approach

Holy Week, this reading fits beautifully with the spirit of Lent. Many of us experience

moments of dryness—spiritual fatigue, loss of hope, broken relationships, or deep

disappointment. Like Israel, we may feel buried under failure or fear. This passage reminds

us that God is a God of new beginnings. Lent calls us to trust that God can breathe life into

what feels dead within us. Just as God raised Israel from despair, He prepares us for the

Resurrection of Christ, where death does not have the final word. This passage also points us

toward today’s Gospel—the raising of Lazarus—and even toward Jesus’ own victory over

death, as Passiontide draws near. As we journey toward Easter, Ezekiel invites us to believe

again that God’s Spirit is still at work, restoring hope, renewing faith, and leading us from

graves into life.

In the second reading taken from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans, St. Paul speaks about

two ways of living: life according to the flesh and life according to the Spirit. By “flesh,”

Paul does not simply mean the body. He means a way of life that is centred only on selfish

desires, sin, and living without reference to God. Such a life, Paul says, cannot please God

because it is closed to His grace. In contrast, those who live according to the Spirit allow God

to guide their thoughts, choices, and actions. Paul reminds the believers that the Spirit of God

already lives in them. This same Spirit raised Jesus from the dead and now gives life to them.

Even though the human body is weak and subject to death, God’s Spirit brings inner life,

peace, and righteousness. Paul’s message is one of great hope. Christian life is not about

human effort alone. It is about God’s Spirit at work within us—quietly, patiently—helping us

live more like Christ. This passage invites us to examine what truly guides our lives. Are we

driven only by comfort, success, and self-interest? Or are we open to the quiet guidance of

God’s Spirit? Living by the Spirit does not mean we are perfect or free from struggle. It

means choosing, each day, to let God shape our attitudes, forgive our failures, and renew our

hearts. When we feel weak or discouraged, Paul reminds us that the Spirit who raised Jesus

from the dead lives in us. That Spirit gives us strength to change, courage to hope, and the

promise of life beyond sin and death. The passage encourages us to trust not in our weakness,

but in God’s life-giving Spirit working within us.

A couple was blessed with three children. The first two were healthy, but the third child was

mentally challenged. Raising this child was not easy. The parents and siblings had to make

many changes and sacrifices. Life became slower, more demanding, and often exhausting.

Years later, when the child passed away, the family felt a deep loss. Yet, looking back, they

realized something important: that child had drawn them closer to one another, taught them

patience, compassion, and love, and quietly transformed their family. The Gospel of John

presents a similar journey of love, struggle, and deeper meaning in the story of Lazarus. Jesus

receives news that Lazarus, whom He loves, is seriously ill. Surprisingly, Jesus delays. When

He finally arrives in Bethany, Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days. All hope seems

lost. Both Martha and Mary say the same painful words to Jesus: “Lord, if you had been here,

my brother would not have died.” Their words express faith, disappointment, and deep

sorrow. They believe in Jesus’ power, yet they cannot understand why God did not protect

them from suffering. Jesus meets each sister differently. With Martha, He invites her to

deeper faith, saying, “I am the resurrection and the life.” With Mary, He does not

explain—He weeps. Jesus enters fully into human grief, showing us that God is not distant

from our pain. Then Jesus stands before the tomb and calls Lazarus out. This miracle tells us

something important: suffering is not the final word. Death is not the final word. As Jesus

explains earlier, this suffering happens so that the glory of God may be revealed. Through

Lazarus, many come to believe. On this 5th Sunday of Lent, the Church invites us to look

honestly at our own tombs—places of loss, fear, sin, or hopelessness. Like Martha and Mary,

we may wonder why God did not act sooner. This Gospel reminds us that God’s delays are

not God’s absence. Even when we do not understand, Jesus is present—sometimes teaching,

sometimes weeping, but always bringing life. As we approach Holy Week, we are invited to

trust that in Christ, every tomb can become a place of resurrection. Bring one “dead area” of

your life to prayer this week. What stone is Jesus asking us to roll away this Lent? May God

bless us all.