Sunday; April 6, 2014
What Is Live and What Is Death?
The text for today is the familiar account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. In all the sermons I have heard on this text, Rohr makes 2 points that were new to me.
He first talks about Jesus’ references to the daylight and the darkness as a metaphor for life and death. Once we understand that Jesus comes to offer us light, then the darkness is no longer to be feared.
Then, when Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb, he has the onlookers help him make that resurrection happen. He tells them “Move the stone away. … Unbind him, and let him go free.” We have a role to play in creating a culture of life and resurrection.
Rohr closes with, "The stone to be moved is always our fear of death, the finality of death, any blindness that keeps us from seeing that death is merely a part of the Larger Mystery called Life. It does not have the final word.” That is the the promise of the gospel.
Quote fromRohr, Richard (2010-12-27). Wondrous Encounters: Scripture for Lent (p. 101). St. Anthony Messenger Press. Kindle Edition.
