Fiftth Sunday of Lent/A
Massimo Palombella
Today’s Gospel (Jn 11:1-45) recounts the resurrection of Lazarus in Bethany.
In the deceased who “sends out a bad smell” there is each one of us, and Jesus’ cry “Lazarus, come out!” is addressed deeply and directly to each one of us.
Come out of your fears that paralyse your life, come out of your survival patterns that diminish and humiliate your life, come out of the world you have created for yourself not to feel pain, come out of the repeated lie that now seems to be the truth.
Come out. The stone of the tomb you have created for yourself is removed. It is up to you to decide to come out, to live, to let yourself be loved, to go ‘beyond’ all that illudes you to live, to free yourself from those bandages of death that bind you, from that shroud that prevents you from seeing reality.
Come out, be the man, the woman you can, should and are called to be.
The Gradual for today’s celebration is taken from Psalms 142 and 17 (Ps 142:9–10; Ps 17:48–49) and reads as follows:
Eripe me, Domine, de inimicis meis:
doce me facere voluntatem tuam.
Liberator meus, Domine, de gentibus iracundis:
ab insurgentibus in me exaltabis me: a viro iniquo eripies me.
(Rescue me. Lord, from my enemies;
teach me to do your will.
O Lord, you who save me from the wrath of the nations,
you shall cause me to triumph over my assailants;
you will save me from the man of evil).
The attached music, in Gregorian chant, is taken from the Graduale Triplex published at Solesmes in 1979. The interpretation is by the ‘Choralschola der Wiener Hofburgkapelle’ conducted by Hubert Dopf. The track can be found on the CD “Gregorian Chant for the Church Year”, released by Universal International Music B.V. in 1997.
A blessed Sunday and heartfelt greetings.
