Homily – 5th Sunday of Lent – A – Fr Jeremiah Browne (#southafrica #Botswana #Eswatini #Swaziland
Recently I visited friends, both of whom are runners. They leave their home at 4.30am every morning to go for a run before work! It’s because they believe in the importance of exercise, and know that is the only time of the day that they can exercise together, that they make the sacrifice of getting out of bed at that time to go for a run. Of course that decision influences the rest of their life – like going to bed early etc. Their belief in the importance of exercise is sustained through their daily actions.
Or think of the sacrifices a parent will make to support their child’s education. They will help their child with homework even after a long day at work themselves. They will attend school meetings, set aside money for school fees, and do everything in their power to help their child succeed. Their belief in the importance of their child’s education is made manifest in their daily actions.
Somehow true belief and the way we give witness to that belief in our daily activities cannot be separated. What we hold in our hearts will always find its way into how we live, how we choose, and how we respond.
In today’s Gospel we hear the story of the raising of Lazarus (John 11:1–45). At the heart of that story we hear one of the most powerful questions that Jesus asks in the scriptures. Standing before Martha, in the midst of grief and confusion, Jesus declares, “I am the Resurrection and the Life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” Then he turns to Martha and asks, “Do you believe this?”
This is not a question for Martha alone; it is a question for each one of us. Our response to that question doesn’t come from a single moment or a simple decision. It grows from a relationship. Martha’s answer is not based on theory, but on her lived experience of Jesus – walking with him every day, listening to him, trusting him even in uncertainty. It begins there for us too.
When we allow space for prayer, for listening to the Word, for encountering Christ in the ordinary moments of our day, a relationship is formed, and from that relationship, trust slowly takes root. The routine begins to shape our life. We begin to lean on him, especially when life is difficult, when answers are not clear, when we stand before our own “tombs.”
Over time, that trust deepens into conviction. It becomes something steady, something that shapes how we live. Conviction is quiet and faithful. It is seen in the choices we make each day, choices that reflect a growing certainty that Christ is indeed the Resurrection and the Life, present with us and leading us forward, present with us and leading us forward.
So the question comes closer to home. Do we believe that Jesus can bring new life and healing to our lives?
Do we believe that he can bring freedom from a fear that keeps us from trusting, from deciding, from stepping into something new? Do you believe that?
Do we believe that he can bring healing to guilt or past mistakes that continue to define how we see ourselves? Do you believe that Jesus can bring life out of that tomb? Do you believe that?
If you struggle to believe, all is not lost. In the story of Lazarus after Jesus calls him to ‘come out’ notice that Lazarus is still wrapped in his burial cloths, still bound by what belonged to the tomb. That’s not a minor detail. It tells us something very real about the journey of faith.
Even when we respond to the voice of Christ, even when we begin to step out of our dark places, our places of hurt, our tombs, we do not always feel fully free straight away. Old hurts can still linger. Words spoken into our psyche and our memories can still shape what we believe. Habits of fear, doubt, or regret can continue to restrict us. That is why the second command of Jesus is so important: “Unbind him, and let him go free.”
In other words, the work of new life continues. Grace is patient. Freedom unfolds. The journey of faith is not only about hearing the call to come out; it is also about allowing those bandages that bind us to be loosened and removed.
Sometimes that happens slowly, through grace working gently over time. Sometimes it happens through the support of others – through a kind word, a listening ear, a community that walks with us, someone that tells us that we are okay. It reminds us that we are not meant to do this alone.
Christ not only calls us into life, he also provides what we need to live that life fully. So if belief feels fragile, if freedom feels incomplete, don’t lose heart. Stay with him. Allow him to continue his work within you. What has begun in you, he will bring to fullness.
So, what might the scriptures be asking of you today? Where might the Holy Spirit be speaking in your life? Maybe it is an invitation to take a simple but honest step: to name the place where you feel bound, and to place it before the Lord. Maybe it is the courage to believe, even in a small way, that new life is possible.
Could it be the willingness to let someone walk with you, to help loosen those bandages that you have carried for too long. Or maybe it is simply to hear again the voice of Jesus speaking into your life: “Come out.” Wherever you find yourself today, that invitation remains. The one who calls you is faithful. The one who began his work in you will not abandon it. He is the Resurrection and the Life, and even now, he is leading you into freedom.
The life Jesus offers is not distant, beyond the grave. It is here, now, given freely. Remember John 10:10 where Jesus declares: “I have come that you may have life and have it in abundance!” May we have the courage to believe it, to receive it, and to live it – so that our lives, like those of the runners, like those of loving parents, boldly reveal the truth of what we believe.
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Please consider praying a decade of the rosary on a daily basis for the evangelising Mission of the Church and the Pope’s intentions.
The pope’s prayer intention for March is “For disarmament and peace”
Let us pray that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that world leaders choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy instead of violence.
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Blessed Pauline Jaricot, Pray for us. 🙏🏼🙏🏼
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Batswana Catholics Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference Diocese of Francistown Diocese of Francistown Youth & Young Adults Catholic Diocese of Mthatha Catholic Diocese Of Kroonstad Missionary Childhood Catholic Diocese of Port Elizabeth Catholic Institute of Education Catholic Women’s League Archdiocese of Cape Town #faith #hope #love #John11 #catholic #homily #lent