My dear sisters and brothers, I consider it a great privilege to write to you on this 5th Sunday in Lent. As the world continues to suffer from the affliction of the Coronavirus, as churches around the world are closed, and as countless numbers of people are unable to receive the sacraments, our readings this week call us to remember the Lord’s plan for each of us. Though we suffer affliction, this is not the end. Though many are dying around the world, God will have the final say; his victory is already won.
At this sorrowful time in our history, when we are burying tens of thousands of people, the first reading from Ezekiel has particular weight. “Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, o my people” (Ez 37:12). This foretelling of the future resurrection is a source of hope for all people. God did not create us for death and destruction; he created us to share in his divine life – to have life, in the fullest sense. He created us to be in communion with him and live with him forever.
Sin is the source of death, for it cuts us off from God, who is the very source of life itself. Moreover, our sins thwart God’s plan for our lives. All of creation is bound up in God’s will and plan. Thus, when we sin we frustrate God’s will, which is manifest in and through his ordering of creation. In a very real way, our sins are the cause of disorder and chaos. Sin is far more deadly and destructive than any virus, disease, or plague.
But there is a cure.
The Lord Jesus, who is the “Resurrection and the Life” (Jn 11:25), came to save us from our sins, restore the right ordering of creation, and reestablish our relationship with God. Though our wills are still free to turn against him and perpetuate more sin, by his free offer of salvation, won for us on the Cross, the Lord Jesus has healed us of our wounds and made it possible to live a life of love and holiness. “Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live”, says the Lord (Jn 11:25).
The holy season of Lent calls us to repentance and conversion. As we prepare for the solemnity of Easter when we will celebrate the Lord’s resurrection from the dead, let us return to the Lord with sorrow for our sins, and pray for his love and mercy. The Lord is waiting to accept us back into his family, and to give us the gift of resurrection and life.
Kevin Ponte – St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta
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