As we reach the Fifth Sunday of Lent, standing at the doorway of Holy Week, the Church invites us to listen again to Jesus’ bold and tender promise: “I am the resurrection and the life.” These words are meant to touch the very places where we struggle, hope, and long for renewal. Jesus does not simply restore life—He brings life wherever He is welcomed.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus approaches the tomb of His friend Lazarus, a place marked by grief, disappointment, and the limits of human strength. Yet it is precisely there, in the shadow of death, that Jesus reveals the compassionate heart of God. He calls Lazarus by name, and life rises where no one expected it. This moment is not only about Lazarus; it is also about us. Each of us carries “tombs” within—places where our hope has dimmed, where our faith feels weary, where our love has been wounded.

As Holy Week draws near, Jesus stands before those sealed-off places within our hearts and calls each one of us personally by name: “come out!” This is not a command of judgement but an invitation to true freedom, a freedom we desire, yet often hesitate to embrace.

Responding to this invitation faithfully means choosing life in practical, humble ways. It may mean offering forgiveness that has been delayed. It may mean returning to prayer with honesty rather than perfection. It may mean serving someone in need with renewed generosity. It certainly means allowing God to unbind us from fear, resentment, or spiritual complacency.

This final Sunday of Lent reminds us that God’s story in us is still unfolding. Christ stands before each of us with the same unwavering promise: new life is possible. May His voice awaken what is weary, heal what is broken, and lead us into the fullness of life that awaits in the sacred days ahead.

Fr. Long Phi Nguyen, SVD, Pastor

BACK TO LIST