Fifth Sunday of Lent.
Also Read: Mass Readings for 22 March 2026
First Reading: Ezekiel 37: 12-14
“I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.” (14)
The Israelites said that their bones were dried up. But the Lord assures Prophet Ezekiel that he will even raise them from their graves! Through the Word of God, Jesus gave us life in him in the Holy species of the body and blood, the Holy Eucharist!
Therefore, let us rejoice in the Lord and His spirit, which is also in us! In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 130: 1-8
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word, I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning. (5–6)
We await the Lord with Hope in our hearts. Amen!
Second Reading: Romans 8: 8-11
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. (11)
We have Christ in us, (through the Holy Eucharist) and Christ’s Spirit in us, (through our Baptism). Therefore, let us not be afraid!
But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (10)
Not of our own, but through Christ’s righteousness, we have life. Through Jesus’ life coursing in our veins, we can live even when we think we are dead! The Spirit life revives our drooping spirits every time. We must remind ourselves often to repeat the truth from the scriptures, like psalm 23, or Phil 4:13, and many more as the Holy Spirit leads us. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to guide us as we read and memorize the holy verses. It can be just one sentence that inspires us at a time — let us hold on to that single pearl. The Holy Spirit will remind us at the opportune time, when we must recite the verse either loudly or softly in our hearts. On repeated practice, we will be able to retain more or longer verses, and we will be strengthened in Jesus’ name, Amen!
Verse Before the Gospel: John 11: 25a, 26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Gospel: John 11: 1-45
Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” (40)
When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (43-44)
Where do we feel buried? We ask the Lord today, to reveal to us the areas where we need to listen in faith to his voice. As the Lord calls to us, let us hear his voice in our hearts. The Lord unbinds our hands and feet and uncovers our eyes as we rise. We ask the Lord to grant us the courage to walk out of the tomb, In Jesus’ name, Amen!
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