Weekend Reflection

The readings of today's Mass focus on hope growing out of hopelessness! The "Dry Bones" theme of Ezekiel's words express his experience in walking through a time in his life where he encountered many lifeless bones.

As we hear or read these words today, I believe we are called to consider the virtue of hope and its importance in our lives. On our Lenten journey, then, we encounter another road sign, a genuine guidepost, to a place of happiness ... living in hope.

Today our world and our own culture abound with realities that have driven the experience of hope from life. The experience of communications in our times daily showers us with an modern experience of conflict be it in the streets of our cities or the fields of once safe areas. Wars never end ... conflicts that lead to genocide spring up regularly. Illnesses so easily designated as "terminal" drain the lives of so many good people. Poverty has a major place at the table of humanity today.

The family of Lazarus experienced a genuine sense of hopelessness when he died, apparently a younger man. The words of Mary and Martha to the young preacher who had worked remarkable "miracle" introduce a tone that is so often connected with hopelessness: "If only ...."
If only something else had happened .... How often have we repeated those words or heard them repeated.

But there is hope. It abounds "if only" we would open our minds and hearts to the voice of new life, "if only" we would recognize that Jesus is there for us. Surely most recognize that Jesus experienced resurrection. We have to see beyond that . We have to see that Jesus is resurrection. He is the new life we can bring into a world of hopelessness. Jesus brings us out of hopelessness into genuine, everlasting hope. When Jesus, our brothers speaks, life is renewed, life is regenerated with hope.

Jesus' words to those at Lazarus' tomb speak to us on our journey when we become burdened in hopelessness: "Untie him and let him go." Listening to Jesus' invitation to follow him, to live as he called us to live restores hope. He is the untieing of what keeps hopelessness alive. "If only" we would let him, he will raise us to new levels of hope. With Jesus there is truly a fullness of resurrection ... "if only" we allow it to happen.