Death is not the end, but a transition into another form of life. In the Christian perspective, this world is like a gestation period for the eternal life that awaits us. By allowing Lazarus to die and be resuscitated, Jesus teaches us that his mission is not to make this temporary life eternal, but to guide us towards the everlasting world of God.
Each person has an inner map which includes our world-view, the values we uphold and the perceptions through which we judge events. If the map is true and accurate, we will generally know where we are, where to go and how to get there. If the map is false and inaccurate, we will easily be lost.
The story of the man born blind in the Gospel of John is a powerful reminder of the transformative power of Christ’s love and grace. It shows how even those who are blind to the truth can be enlightened and transformed through the waters of baptism and the Word of Christ.
Each one of us has the possibility to meet Jesus in the same way, especially in Lent, in the reconciliation which is offered to us in the Sacraments and in our life of prayer. During this Lent, by unmasking our hearts in front of Jesus, we too, like the Samaritan woman, might become the catalysts of this never-ending encounter between God and humanity.
The thirst of the Samaritan woman is the symbol of the most intimate needs that torment the heart of the bride-Israel: the need for peace, love, serenity, hope, happiness, sincerity, consistency, and for God. These are the needs that every person experiences.
“The light that Jesus shows the disciples is an anticipation of Easter glory, and that must be the goal of our own journey, as we follow ‘him alone’. Lent leads to Easter: the ‘retreat’ is not an end in itself, but a means of preparing us to experience the Lord’s passion and cross with faith, hope and love, and thus to arrive at the resurrection”.
Listening to the word of God is not everything. One cannot spend one’s life in the church or in the oasis of spiritual retreats. It is necessary to go out to meet and serve the brothers and sisters, to help those who suffer, to be close to anyone in need of love.
Natural disasters are often inevitable, but it is our culpable unpreparedness which makes things worse. The same can be said about our spiritual life. Temptations are like earthquakes. They shake the solidity of our beliefs and undermine our inner convictions. They widen the fault lines which crack the weakest areas of our soul. If we are unprepared, they can reduce our soul to rubble.
Jesus never bowed down before any idol. He was not seduced by political power, money, the use of weapons, friendship with the great of this world, and proposals of success and glory. He always listened only to the word of the Father. The ultimate goal of evil is to undermine the relationship with God by causing doubt in people’s minds that the Lord does not keep his promises.
Many young people today may have a misunderstanding of holiness, perhaps due to the portrayal of saints as individuals who perform miracles or never make mistakes, which can be difficult to connect with. Holiness, however, is primarily about belonging to God and living in a love-bound communion. It’s important to consider alternative paths to holiness that may be overlooked in our current context.