Fr. Aidan Writes:
After celebrating the Feast of St Joseph and the Annunciation to Mary last week, we are presented with the Gospel of the raising of Lazarus. Mary and Joseph we most readily think of as figures in the Christmas story of the birth of Our Lord. So now we focus on death, the end of life. In this great miracle, we see Jesus having authority over all things, including death. We also are given his command to those witnessing the miracle, “Unbind him and let him go”. This is said to us too, we are commanded to unbind people and let them go about their lives. This is not as easy as we might think. Sometimes, we like some people to be bound up so that we know where they are and they are under control. Other times, their burdens and worries seem too much for us to help them with. Sometimes we are the ones doing the binding! We can only truly unbind people if we have the agency to do so. This comes from the faith as expressed by Martha, when Jesus tells her that he is, “the resurrection and the life”. Martha replies as clear as a bell, “Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world”.
Do we have the depth of faith Martha showed? Do we go about trying to unbind people from whatever constricts their ability to live fully, as God created them to be? Our faith is a faith of liberation. Jesus liberates Lazarus his friend, a one off event, but through his Cross and Resurrection ,on Easter Morn, he liberates us all from the chains of sin and death. Are we all prepared, in all humility and thanksgiving, for such a great gift?
God bless you and your families,
Fr Aidan-Peter CJ
May God bless you, your families, and the week ahead,
Fr Aidan Peter