Resources for Praying Sunday’s Gospel March 29 5th Sunday of Lent 2020
“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?”
John 11:25-26
John 11:3-7, 17,20-27, 33b-45
The sisters of Lazarus sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “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?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.
(Full version of John 11: 1-45)
Questions
- With whom do you most identify?
- How are you like Martha? Thomas? Lazarus? Jesus?
- What has this Gospel passage to do with Passion?
- What has this Gospel to do with the pandemic?
Lectio Divina Resources
Order of the Brothers of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel on John 11:1-45
American Bible Society John 11:1-45
Loyola Press John 11:1-45
Visio Divina
Select one of the images to meditate upon
John 11:35
John 11: 43-45
John 11: 43-45
- What do you see?
- What do you feel?
- What do you wonder?
- What questions do you have?
- How is this work related to the Gospel?
- Where does your prayer lead you?
- What does it mean for my life?
- Who are some of the people/groups of people in society today who are “entombed” by suffering, despair, and injustice?
- How can we bring hope and new life to those who are “entombed” by these realities?
- When was a time that someone brought hope and new life to you?
- What are some of the “stones” that need to be “rolled away” in our society so that people may truly be free from injustice? (questions 8-11 are from Joe Paprocki)