Scripture Reflection for the Fifth Sunday of Lent

This Sunday is the Fifth Sunday of Lent. The readings are from Ezekiel 37:12-14; Psalm 130:1-8; Romans 8:8-11; and John 11:1-45.

I just saw a joke that said the Church has been training for the marathon that is the reading of the Passion narrative on Palm Sunday by having three weeks of long Gospel readings in a row – check the verses for this Sunday! This prompted me to look back at these longer readings, and I was struck by a similarity between all of them; each reading featured some kind of change or transformation. On the Second Sunday of Lent, we heard about Jesus’ Transfiguration from His earthly appearance to His glorified state. The Third Sunday of Lent featured the story of the woman at the well, who turns from her state of shame and sinfulness to proclaiming the presence of the Messiah. Last Sunday, the man born blind was brought from the inability to see to the gift of sight. And this Sunday, Lazarus is brought from death to life.

All of these stories of change and transformation brought to mind the word metanoia, or repentance. Literally, in Greek, the word metanoia translates to a 180-degree turn, moving your heart or your mind from a place of sorrow or shame or sinfulness to a place of joy, light, and peace through the grace of God. Hopefully, this season of Lent has been a time of metanoia for you; however, the beautiful thing about the spiritual life is that conversion is an ongoing process. Our turning toward God is a lifelong movement of small conversions over and over again. Praise God that His mercy is infinite and inexhaustible. Praise God that He is continually inviting us to become more like Him through small transformations. We have two weeks left of Lent. Use this time to try each and every day to turn more toward Him and allow Him to bring you out of darkness to light and from death into life.