“We stayed at work for you, you stay at home for us”

Listening to the Spirit

As we pray this psalm, let us offer to God our departed brothers and sisters who died of COVID-19, and ask God’s protection for all. We include also our Xaverian confreres who recently died.

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From whence does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved,
he who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade
on your right hand.
The sun shall not smite you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and for evermore.

Listening to the Word

John 11:1-45

Now a certain man was ill, Laz′arus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Laz′arus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness is not unto death; it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by means of it.”

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Laz′arus. So when he heard that he was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go into Judea again.”The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were but now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any one walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.But if any one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” Thus he spoke, and then he said to them, “Our friend Laz′arus has fallen asleep, but I go to awake him out of sleep.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Laz′arus is dead; and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Now when Jesus came, he found that Laz′arus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary sat in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.”

When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying quietly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Then Mary, when she came where Jesus was and saw him, fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled; and he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. 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, deeply moved again, came to the tomb; it was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. I knew that thou hearest me always, but I have said this on account of the people standing by, that they may believe that thou didst send me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Laz′arus, come out.” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with 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 he did, believed in him.

Reflection

It has been two weeks now, we stay at home, since the lockdown declared by the government. We have cooperated, following the order: social distancing, washing our hands and stay at home, etc.

In the midst of this pandemic coronavirus, some people knowing the danger, take a big risk, going out from their home to give and save life. Many doctors and nurses died during their duty to save the patients. Their fellow doctors and nurses keep standing in front line fighting against this pandemic. While they are serving in such dangerous situations, they keep telling us, “we stayed at work for you, and please you stay at home for us.” What a great love.

On the street, I hear a man selling tofu, shouting, tofu, tofu…. This man put his life in danger in order to give food (life) for his family. In the television, I watch a man crying, “I am not afraid of corona virus, I am afraid of hunger and die.”

In the parish we still doing some ministries: funeral blessing, house blessing and anointing of the sick. We are afraid sometimes. But we try to do the best that we can while be alert with the situation.

These people and many others came out and unbounded themselves from the lockdown in order to serve and save lives. They came out from the “tomb” and unbonded from fear in order to give hope for others.

Lazarus was locked in the tomb for four days. Knowing that his close friend, Lazarus has died, Jesus return to Bethany. His disciples try to prevent him, ““Rabbi, the Jews were but now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” And Thomas perhaps was desperate, said, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

But Jesus, really loves his friend. He takes the risk in order to give life to his friend. He weeps. But he also publicly declares that he is “the resurrection and the life.”

Jesus, the resurrection and life, visits his friend Lazarus in the tomb. Jesus calls Lazarus to come out from the lockdown, the tomb and to be free. Jesus ask the people, “unbind him and let him go.” Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, gives us hope and new life.

As we continue our journey in this Lenten season, while we are staying at home, lockdown in our houses, let us keep raising our voices and hope to God. Do not worry. He loves us. He visits us. The crisis situation will pass and we will have a new life with Him. Let us feel at home. Let us not cover ourselves with fear. We are heading with Jesus to Jerusalem where we will witness not merely his suffering and death but also his glory. Let us unbind ourselves from desperation and fear because he comes to set us free and gives a new life.

For the rest of us, who stay at home, we too, have cooperated well to limit the spreading of this virus. It’s not easy and perhaps it’s unbearable for some to stay at home. But we follow the advice of our front liners, “we stayed at work for you. You stay at home for us.” Jesus would say the same thing as always, “I am at work for you. Do not be afraid. I am your God.”