Fifth Sunday of Lent: Dying and Rising
THE GRACE I SEEK: to believe that Jesus will give me new life.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Jesus, the Lord of Life, has given himself to you in the Eucharist. He is gazing upon you, his beloved child, with great love at this very moment. Pause for a few moments and wonder at his gift for you. Allow yourself to rest in his loving gaze.
Thank Jesus for the gift of himself in the Eucharist.
ASK FOR THE GRACE: Jesus, help me to trust you to envelop me daily with your light and grace.
SCRIPTURE MEDITATION — Read slowly, 3-4 times. Allow the words of Scripture to wash over your mind and heart. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you through this passage.
“O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people!”
REFLECTION QUESTION — Allow yourself to sit with these questions for a while, being attentive to how the Lord is speaking in your heart.
How are you “spiritually” buried right now? What parts of your heart feel lost in darkness and death? Speak to Jesus about these places of sorrow and loss.
SCRIPTURE MEDITATION — Read slowly, 3-4 times. Again, allow the words of Scripture to wash over your mind and heart. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you through this passage.
“[Jesus] cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, ‘Untie him and let him go.’”
REFLECTION QUESTION
Jesus has power over life and death. The grave is no hindrance to his creative love. Imagine Jesus commanding you by name to “come out!” of whatever spiritual grave has robbed you of life. Gazing upon Jesus in the Eucharist, ask him to gently untie the burial cloths around that place in your heart most in need of resurrection and new life. Ask him for the courage to bring any sins that weigh you down to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Remain in silence with the Lord. Allow him to speak in the silence, in your heart. Receive his presence. If it helps, write down what you sense the Lord communicating to you during this time of prayer.
Jesus has power over life and death. The grave is no hindrance to his creative love. Imagine Jesus commanding you by name to “come out!” of whatever spiritual grave has robbed you of life. Gazing upon Jesus in the Eucharist, ask him to gently untie the burial cloths around that place in your heart most in need of resurrection and new life. Ask him for the courage to bring any sins that weigh you down to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Remain in silence with the Lord. Allow him to speak in the silence, in your heart. Receive his presence. If it helps, write down what you sense the Lord communicating to you during this time of prayer.
CLOSING PRAYER
By your help, we beseech you, Lord our God, may we walk eagerly in that same charity with which, out of love for the world, your Son handed himself over to death. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. (Collect, Fifth Sunday of Lent)
SUNDAY MASS CONNECTION
At every Mass, Jesus offers himself to the Father for us. We can always join our own offerings with Jesus at Mass. This Sunday, offer your desire for new life where your heart needs it most.