Lent 5 C + Unbind him + 3.26.23

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M. Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(Ezekiel 37:1–14, Ps. 130, Romans 8:6–11, John 11:1–45)

Unbind him, and let him go.

A man who was dead walks out of a tomb, wrapped in death shroud and smelling of death and the warm spices of the preparation of the dead. And Jesus says, “unbind him, and let him go!” The same God who breathed life into the bones in the valley of dry bones breathes life into Lazarus. And he is healed. And restored to his family. This healing is good, amazing news! And yet this gospel can be both a word of hope and a challenge for faithful people who have lost a loved one. How do we accept that Jesus would raise that one, and not our loved one? It was, of course, a sign. Another way for us to learn that he was divine. This passage falls within a series of “I am” statements in John, reminding us that Jesus is God’s incarnate son.

And yet there is a hidden message here in the good news of Lazarus. Beyond the effervescent joy his family must have experienced- his faithful, faithful sisters and him, this story tells us of God’s faithfulness to the last and the least. As commentator Osvaldo Vena points out about this passage: “If the blind man of John 9 symbolizes the community in its cultural and religious estrangement from the synagogue, then Lazarus, which means “God helps,” could also represent the Johannine community which had been relegated by the religious authorities to the grave of cultural marginalization, a dead body without access to participation in the body politic.”[1]

Lazarus, the one whom God helps, also symbolizes the who community John was writing to in this gospel. He wanted them to believe! Because they were exiled from the centers of power, but God had not forgotten them. Just as Lazarus’ family thought all was lost, that he would be left in the tomb, this nascent Christian community may at times have felt like giving up hope. They were living in the tombs. They were different, and misunderstood. But in this passage and in recounting this miraculous event, John fills the believers with the hope of return to life.

He also reminds us to seek those who would be cast aside by society. And that is something that we as a church must do every day.
A family reached out to us a couple of weeks back, a family of one of our honored service members and recruiters in the area, and they needed to baptize their godchild. Because the child was to move to another country and the family relationship was more complex than the norm, they had received the sad news from a local church that they could not be baptized. That of course broke my heart and we immediately said we would be happy to baptize this child. Happy to support these parents and godparents. God loves all families conceived and lived out in love. And every child deserves to be recognized as a full part of God’s family. We must lift up all who come to us as a gift, not trying to judge others’ journeys but using every opportunity to spread God’s love. We must unbind all whom the world would bind, and set them free in God’s love.

Someone we honor today, Monsignor Oscar Romero, whose feast day was Friday, came to a similar decision during the civil war in El Salvador. When he was elected, he was considered fairly conservative religiously, and was very much focused on the maintenance of the liturgy and sacraments. But when he was elected in 1977, things began to change. You see, a soft-spoken priest named Rutilio Grande was killed while simply trying to serve his flock, as were two others, and then came other martyrs. And Romero knew that if a gentle soul like Grande could be wiped out by this regime, no one was safe. He dedicated his life to serving the poor and the oppressed in El Salvador, and paid the ultimate price. On March 24, 1980 he was killed while celebrating the mass. His death sadly led to more death as many protested at his funeral in his honor and the protesters were bombed. But the blood of the martyrs is truly the seed of the church- the church in El Salvador and around the world was strengthened by his example of faith. And many people honor and revere him even as they continue to serve the last and the least all around the world. He was a family friend of one of our parishioners, and her family will never forget his faithfulness.

Monsignor Romero said: “There are not two categories of people. There are not some who were born to have everything and leave others with nothing and a majority that has nothing and can’t enjoy the happiness that God has created for all. God wants a Christian society, one in which we share the good things that God has given for all of us.”[2] In other words, Unbind the poor, and let them go!

God knows that we are all sinners in need of redeeming, all people whose unruly ways need taming. But God also plants in each of us the seed of good. Romero inspired us to reach out to all in need and share God’s embracing love and healing with each person that comes to us. In our baptismal covenant we say every human being has dignity. No one is exiled, no one is excluded. All are welcome and are invited into new life. A new life we lift up in baptism and every time we remember what God has done for us in Christ.
God, you breathed upon the dry bones. You lifted the hearts of the people of El Salvador even in their sadness in losing Monsignor Romero. Take our unruly hearts and fix them fully on Jesus, moving away from the judgment of God’s creatures and towards your loving embrace. Breathe upon us life and health, that we may experience your love, healing and rebirth into eternal life.

Amen.

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