Dear Parishioners,
My first experience of a St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar at St. Jane’s was, “Wow, what a special event!” I loved seeing and interacting with so many parishioners and former parishioners from St. Jane and Our Lady of the Chesapeake who enjoyed being with each other and with family, friends, and neighbors. The games, the food, the camaraderie, the prizes, the fun—all made possible by the generosity of so many people who donated goods and those who volunteered and served many long hours to make this happen. A special thank you to Melissa Boyle, Theresa Sparklin, the Knights, and so many volunteers too numerous to mention here.
“I will open your graves and have you rise from them… and I will put my Spirit within you.”
Our 1st reading today (Ezekiel 37:12, 14) reminds us that while our God is a faithful God (He will always do what He promises), He is also a God of surprises (we don’t know when he will do what He promises). For example, the Lord spoke this message to Ezekiel when the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon as a promise to restore Israel to the Promised Land, but it is also a veiled reference to the resurrection of the dead which we hear about in today’s Gospel with Lazarus, as well as the resurrection of the body which will occur at Jesus’ Second Coming. In other words, it could be that we may never experience in our lifetime on earth God’s promises we read about in Scripture. This leads to the problem of suffering.
The problem of suffering. In time, God did restore the Israelites to the Promised Land, and Jesus did raise Lazarus from the dead. But we may be asking, “Why isn’t Jesus helping me now, here, when I need Him the most?” and “Why do I and my loved ones suffer?” Because there is so much suffering and evil in the world, many people conclude that God does not exist. “If a powerful and loving God exists, wouldn’t He DO something about all this suffering and evil?” When my wife Shirley suddenly died, I was consumed with grief. The lives of my two sons and I become ones of instant crisis. Nothing would ever be “normal” again. Shirley’s loss provoked many questions I had for God. “What good could come from this?”
We hear a key part of the answer to the question of suffering in today’s gospel, the surprise: “I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).” But there’s more to understanding the difficulty suffering presents for humanity, which I will explore further in my 3rd Lenten Bible & Catechism Series Talk, “I will open your graves and raise you… I will put my spirit within you. (Ezekiel 37:12-14) The great paradox: How suffering demonstrates that God is all-powerful and all-loving” on Thursday, March 30, 7:00–8:00 pm at Our Lady of the Chesapeake Church. To get the most out of this talk, please bring your Bible and Catechism.
Peace in Christ,
Father Jim
