Meditate on the Gospel of the 5th Sunday of Lent with catechumens

Lent was born from the preparation for the baptism of future Christians. The other faithful joined in this spiritual journey. An ancient tradition punctuates the three Sundays preceding Holy Week: the polls. These rites have two points in common with our elections: “scrutiny” – making an examination in truth – and “choosing”. Three Sundays in a row, the catechumens are invited to examine their hearts, full of the desire to be baptized but also affected by contradictory desires, illusions, fears…

They do this work while listening to the Gospel. On this 5th Sunday of Lent, let us also enter into the study of our hearts by meditating with them on the gospel of the resurrection of Lazarus.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John, chapter 11, verses 1 to 45.

The big question of death

“How can Jesus exist when there are premature deaths around us, like that of Lazarus? » This is the question that has been bothering Anne-Sophie in recent years, after the death of her twin brother. The complaint of Martha and Mary (“Lord, if you had been there, my brother would not have died”) resonates closely with her.

“Jesus did not force events, he accepted the death of his friend as he accepted the possibility of his death by returning to Jerusalem where they tried to stone him,” notes Jules. This consent from Jesus is impressive. “He chose to be a man, he embraced our humanity,” he adds. Jesus is overcome by emotion at the pain of his friends and the people who came to surround them. “Death is part of life: it does not interrupt the order of things,” comments Anne-Sophie.

An act of trust

Faced with the death of their brother, fear adds to the pain in the hearts of Marthe and Mary. Jesus invites Martha to trust: “Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? » This question moves Jules. “Fear is the enemy of the follower of God,” he said. “In the Bible it is written 365 times: do not fear, do not be afraid. » While the situation crushes us, that suffering or fear oppresses us, “Jesus knows that everything will be resolved and that he will do something even more beautiful,” notes Anne-Sophie.

Jesus stands with us in times of trial as a friend and invites us to trust in him. He himself lives what he asks of Marthe as of each of us: he trusts God for the meaning of his life, while this extraordinary miracle will seal the plan to put him to death (see the end of chapter 11).

“Do you still believe?”

Jules sees a parallel between the events of Jesus’ life and our lives. “We move with Jesus from the immense joy of the resurrection of Lazarus to the Passion so quickly, but the common thread is faith in God. Our Christian life will be strewn with doubts and trials, but what remains is faith in God. »

The resurrection of Lazarus is so extraordinary that it is difficult to believe. Anne-Sophie brings her closer to the birth of Jesus, which her nascent faith struggled with for a long time. “We arrive at the end of Jesus’ journey and we find ourselves faced with this question: do you still believe? »

Before knocking on the door of the Church, Anne-Sophie and Jules took this act of trust several times. “I felt drawn to faith. One day I prayed: I asked God for a sign that he exists. And I got this sign,” says Jules. They already know from experience that God has not abandoned them. “Since my faith is more present, I am much more serene about many things because I know that God is there,” notes Anne-Sophie. With lucidity and confidence, they prepare to seal their life with Jesus through baptism.