Reading I
Thus says the Lord GOD:
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!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.
Gospel
Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany,
the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil
and dried his feet with her hair;
it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.
So the sisters sent word to him saying,
“Master, the one you love is ill.”
When Jesus heard this he said,
“This illness is not to end in death,
but is for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So when he heard that he was ill,
he remained for two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples,
“Let us go back to Judea.”
The disciples said to him,
“Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you,
and you want to go back there?”
Jesus answered,
“Are there not twelve hours in a day?
If one walks during the day, he does not stumble,
because he sees the light of this world.
But if one walks at night, he stumbles,
because the light is not in him.”
He said this, and then told them,
“Our friend Lazarus is asleep,
but I am going to awaken him.”
So the disciples said to him,
“Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.”
But Jesus was talking about his death,
while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep.
So then Jesus said to them clearly,
“Lazarus has died.
And I am glad for you that I was not there,
that you may believe.
Let us go to him.”
So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples,
“Let us also go to die with him.”
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus
had already been in the tomb for four days.
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.
And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”
When she had said this,
she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying,
“The teacher is here and is asking for you.”
As soon as she heard this,
she rose quickly and went to him.
For Jesus had not yet come into the village,
but was still where Martha had met him.
So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her
saw Mary get up quickly and go out,
they followed her,
presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him,
she fell at his feet and said to him,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping,
he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,
“Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
But some of them said,
“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man
have done something so that this man would not have died?”
So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,
“Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days.”
Jesus said to her,
“Did I not tell you that if you believe
you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said,
“Father, I thank you for hearing me.
I know that you always hear me;
but because of the crowd here I have said this,
that they may believe that you sent me.”
And when he had said this,
He 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.”
Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what he had done began to believe in him.
Thank you for posting this.
The education I glean from your religious knowledge motivates me to do better.
Cheers!
A challenge: instead of trying to “do better,” BELIEVE in the Son of God, even Jesus Christ, the only Savior and King of Kings and Lord of Lords! After all, He IS THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE! He who BELIEVES in Him, though he die, yet shall he live [gain eternal life through believing in Christ]. Take it literally and personally!
Doesn’t He ALSO ask us to pick up our cross and follow Him as well? That, to me, is “doing better”. JMHO
Acts 17:28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.
Praise God!!
Likewise and amen!
The Ezekiel verses always remind me how God will protect His people and never forget or revoke His promises, along with the earlier related passage from Isaiah 26:19-21:
“Your dead shall live;
Together with my dead body they shall arise.
Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust;
For your dew is like the dew of herbs,
And the earth shall cast out the dead
Come, my people, enter your chambers,
And shut your doors behind you;
Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment,
Until the indignation is past.
For behold, the Lord comes out of His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
The earth will also disclose her blood,
And will no more cover her slain.”
Yes..and those who have gone before us in the Lord we shall see again!!
Rev. 21:4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Precious thoughts of truth, Jude …
God is merciful and kind, not treating us as we deserve
The words of Revelation 21:4 bring much comfort and hope!
I always marvel that the Lord God Himself wipes the tears – not an angel…
Hi Della,
While I was reading what you wrote, I was thinking; we are ALL going to finally meet in person, one on one, our Father in heaven, the Father of Jesus! We’re going to see Jesus, look into His face with such wonder; and He will be looking at us; and we will hear the sound of His voice! I don’t think I’ll be able to hold it together. Its too much just to think about now; we have no idea how powerful that will be!
Hi Michael, yes, it is a wonderful meditation! That all who are “born again” will be with each other, and most importantly, with the Lord God Himself – for eternity.
A comforting truth to remind ourselves during these dark days!
One Scripture that someone shared with me about 9mos. after my son was killed has always stuck with me. I was at a terribly low despairing point in my grief, missing my son beyond words can express. It was specifically vs. 6 that stood out:
Eph. 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
It hit me like a rock and the horrid tormenting despair was knocked right out of me…somehow, some way, in Christ we are already in the Spirit seated in Heaven. I immediately felt that I was still ‘connected’ to my son in Jesus. NOTHING could separate him from me in the Lord and in His Spirit. We who are born again do grieve like all others with one BIG difference…we have that Hope. Though we grieve from all of the ‘physical’ realm of separation, we know that we are never separated in the Spirit and will be reunited on all levels, and eventually with our new resurrected bodies, soon.
What a difference just one Word from God can make, the difference of night and day…of Light and dark. God is good!
This is a beautiful testimony, Jude.
And, God is the One Who gave it to you, a gift, no doubt.
Who can understand it?
You do, Only by His Spirit….
Yes, the difference His Word makes is profoundly transforming – even between life and death.
My heart hurts for you and yours …
May God help you grow in His grace and knowledge, through it all.
🙏🏻 🙏🏻
TY. Blessings!
Gal. 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
One of my life verses, power volt 2:20.
Thank you, too!
Will i stand? Will i fall to my knees? Will i be able to speak at all? I can only imagine, but I can’t wait!
Love this song!
TY! for posting this song. Many tears… I often posted this song on one of the sites I ran on FB for 3 1/2 yrs. I had never been on ‘social media’ before, yet somehow I was led there and one thing led to another. It was called: ‘Hope in Jesus for Bereaved Parents’. Eventually, there were 4k followers on that site. The site was repeatedly attacked and even ‘blocked’, but much healing came for all of us that were there.
I was reading: Rev. 12:11 ‘And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.’ one day and I was looking at the 3 things that God says makes us ‘overcome’. I knew I had the 1st, the blood of the Lamb, when I was reborn..and continue to have. Then, I looked at the 2nd and felt I had to share my Testimony. So, I wrote a book: ‘Gifts from the Ashes’ and it was published. Now I am working on the 3rd: not loving my life to my death.
Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
Your posts here today have touched me, Jude, and sure others are, too.
Why?
Because it is God at work within, leading you to green pastures and still waters.
He is the One who gives beauty from ashes, oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
His Light is shining through you!
I’m sorry for your path through this suffering, but joyful seeing that He is with you!
Shalom shalom.
PS. 119:71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.
You are slaying me – another of my life verses!
I completely understand … Had I not been afflicted, I possibly may not know Christ!
He lifted me out of the pit and the miry clay…and set my feet upon a rock.
So, yes! It was all worth it…
Yes!! Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 🙂
It appears that you are completely secure and confident “in Christ.”
God has comforted you so that you may comfort others with the same comfort He has given you.
I’ve learned that comfort does not mean the pain disappears. It’s a mystery to me how the Lord comforts. But He does!
Have you heard of Pastor John Piper? I split few hairs with him but really love him.
This two-minute clip on grief really helps me, and listen to it as needed.
https://www.desiringgod.org/embrace-the-life-god-has-given-you
I have listened to a number of Piper’s talks. He is especially right-on when he speaks of Job’s suffering, etc. I don’t agree with him on all and don’t favor the ‘Christian Hedonism’ that he believes in, but he definitely has a great understanding of suffering as viewed by the Lord. I once heard that he personally has great battles with depression as did Charles Spurgeon. I especially love the verse where Job states: “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.” (42:5)
Job had lost sooo much..it is unimaginable. I have met Moms on line when I had my site that have lost 2, 3 children..and husband, as well.
In no way do I want to relay that it is in any way ‘easy’. In some ways, if a person is a person of Faith and THEN encounters a horrific loss, etc., they must once again go back to their ‘roots’. Their Faith has been tried by fire and it burns like hell itself. It is a time of great trial in which many walk away, which is the worst choice at such a time because it leaves them without anything. Peter’s words come to mind: 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (John 6).
I agree, it is a mystery…the peace beyond all understanding… I’ve decided I don’t have to understand it…simply embrace it and hold onto it for dear life. I love His promise in Jer. 15:11. 1 Thes. 4:13 was the foundational Scripture of the site God gave to me. Only the Hope (Titus 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ) can lift us out of the darkest pit of despair.
That is a precious word from Piper. TY!! I’m truly blessed by your fellowship, ‘Miss.Della B.’ 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your ministry and testimony.
It’s all I’ve come to know..He’s all I’ve come to know. By nature, I’m a feisty strong-willed individual…stubborn as all get out. I have had many many arguments with God over the years. I have stomped my feet so hard and so much that I’m surprised they haven’t fallen off by now. NOTHING compares with God’s Love…NOTHING! ..and if His Love is all I have, I greatly rejoice for there are No greater riches anywhere.
Thank you, Jude, thank you.
Blessings, Jeff. TY for your encouragement. 🙂
I agree with you, Jude, about Piper. And, everything else you’ve said here!
Your posts greatly encourage and uplift!
May God use them to minister to all who read.
Love the verse you chose about Simon.
I, too, have had to go back to my roots and see if my faith is real.
When we realize there’s NO ONE else to help but Jesus, we best stick with Him.
I know I’ll stay with Him till my last breath.
I’ve enjoyed talking with you, too! Nowadays there is lots of superficial conversation all around – which has its place, of course.
But I do love deeper dialogue about the LORD.
After all, He is my life…
Your name here reminds me of this verse which I’ll leave with you!
And you can call me Della.
“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless
before the presence of his glory with great joy.”
Jude 1:24
🌷 🌷
Blessings, Della…’til we meet again, this side or the other 🙂
I just recv’d this in my email and my heart sinks. Were all 6 little girls the children of the same parents? The article is unclear. But their journey has only just begun and my heart breaks for them as my eyes fill with tears: https://www.theblaze.com/news/car-crash-tennessee-girls-dead#toggle-gdpr
There are so many dying these days…dying young, mostly from the jab. The ‘sudden deaths’ that have been kept hidden can’t be hidden much longer. There are simply too many of them. Every death is somebody’s child. I can’t embrace them all, but I know Who can. I want to say to them: ‘Look here…at Jesus’, for I know only He can pick up the broken pieces and make them whole again with His gentle loving Hands.
Thanks Riley
That was very nice. 🙂
We will all fall down before Him 🙂
Rev. 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
11 “You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.”
YES! ..I also think of the Lord Himself gently wiping away my tears one day with His own Hand. TY!! Jesus! Blessings!
Know you have a special sorrow, Jude, and ask the Lord God to continue giving you His Divine help, until that Day.
Shalom, shalom – perfect peace.
He does, ‘Miss.Della.B’. I would not be here today except for the Grace of God Who comforts me in ALL things. TY for your prayer. He has been Faith-full even when I have been Faith-less.
2 Tim. 2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
“No Jesus, no peace—know Jesus, know peace.” 🙂
“A multitude that no man can number!” 🙂
“Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow, and mourning, shall flee away, away, away, AWAY!”
Amen! Amen! Amen!
Hallelujah!! Jesus lives!!
Kerry Livgren has written a cantata on the rising of Lazarus. An amazing piece of work that took him over 30 years to complete. He also suffered a stroke before completing the project but Our Lord brought him back to life so that he could glorify Him with this amazing piece of music. All glory and honor to you Lord Jesus Christ!!!
Thank you for the information. Here’s a link to it the first movement:
I listened to all five movements as well as his testimony. Kerry actually had a stroke in the middle of doing Lazarus and was able to finish it. I would encourage all to listen to it. Wonderful word picture of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead while He was heading to His own death and resurrection.
VICTORY!
Any link? I would love to hear this!
Someone did post it above, ‘RT’. Beautiful! Compassion & Victory!
The Resurrection of Lazarus
by Kerry Livgren
On uTube – all 5 Movements
The Resurrection of Lazarus
by Kerry Livgren
All lyrics
https://kerrylivgren.bandcamp.com/album/the-resurrection-of-lazarus
Thank you, Menagerie…The Mary and Martha here…
…brought to mind, this prayer from Fatima. I learned to love the Lord’s mother, who said very little that is recorded, at my Grandma’s knee.
The Angel of Peace taught the little shepherds of Fatima, the following prayer:
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee! I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee.
Good morning Aggiegirl , hope you dont mind if i add these other prayers that were also taught at Fatima by Mary and the angels
Painting of the Coronation of Mother Mary by the Holy Trinity at the Sanctuary of Fatima in Portuga
Prayers Taught at Fatima by Mary and the Angels
1. THE PARDON PRAYER
The angel who appeared to the children called himself the Angel of Peace and the Angel of Portugal. He taught them the following prayer:
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee! I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee.
2. THE ANGEL’S PRAYER
On one occasion, the three children saw the angel prostrate before a host and chalice that hung in the air. Worshiping the Eucharist, the angel prayed,
Most Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit- I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences whereby He is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.
3. THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
During the first apparition of Our Lady of Fatima, the children found themselves “moved by an interior impulse,” as Lucia later explained, to say the following prayer together:
Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee! My God, my God, I love Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
4. THE SACRIFICE PRAYER
The Blessed Mother taught the children to offer all their personal sacrifices to God by praying,
Oh my Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
5. THE ROSARY DECADE PRAYER
The Blessed Mother stressed the critical importance of praying the rosary daily for the conversion of sinners and for peace in the world. She asked that the following prayer be recited at the end of each rosary decade:
Oh My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.
2After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. 3His clothes became radiantly white, brighter than any launderer on earth could bleach them. 4And Elijah and Moses appeared before them, talking with Jesus.
5Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three sheltersa—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6For they were all so terrified that Peter did not know what else to say.
7Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him!” 8Suddenly, when they looked around, they saw no one with them except Jesus.
Most Holy Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — I adore Thee! I love Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee! I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee. – AMEN!
Thank you Aggiegirl.
All things possible ….
amen
Thank you, God bless you. I love the Lazarus story. It is filled with little details of Christ’s relationship with the Father, his followers, his friends. It’s such an intimate view into Christ.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful Scripture. Jesus is the resurrection and the life! I think it was a very good choice to put these two, Ezekiel 37, and John 11, together; its like being transported to that day when Jesus will call ALL out of their graves from all time! We can’t imagine what that will look like. 🙂
I pray that everyone who visits this site will be part of the First Resurrection when Jesus returns.
Truths in this selection give us hope, peace and assurance.
The question Jesus asked Martha is same one He asks us today.
Prayerfully, may each one of us be able to answer as Martha did!
Thank you, Menagerie, for reminder.
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?” (25)
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.” (26)
John 11:25-26
Looking forward to your Easter recipes !
Amen, I say to you, Amen. May Peace abide in you today and for all time to come, may God be with you.
To ours catholic friends, Lazarus is a translation of the name Eleazar.
Thank you, Sundance. All glory and honor to God Almighty.
Amen!
Look upon us, O Lord,
and let all the darkness of our souls vanish before the beams of thy
brightness.
Fill us with holy love, and open to us the treasures of thy wisdom.
All our desire is known unto thee, therefore perfect what thou hast begun,
and what thy Spirit has awakened us to ask in prayer.
We seek thy face,
turn thy face unto us and show us thy glory.
Then shall our longing be satisfied,
and our peace shall be perfect
Thanks for the post. I do like to point out that the Ezekiel passage is a prophecy concerning the nation of Israel. This prophecy was fulfilled when Israel became a nation in 1948. It’s good for us to read chapters of the Bible as it gives us more context and understanding of what the Hebrew writers are trying to communicate.
Let us also keep in mind that all scripture is god breathed please see
2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
There is an amazing Substack by the writer John Little. After years of bible study, he is convinced that Israel will “come home” to the Lord & Jesus in the future. This prophecy makes more sense to him (and to me) in this light.
Thank you for this post. Jesus is our only hope of salvation from our sins and life after death. He who created all that we see, hear and sense in this life is reliable and faithful until the end.
May God add a blessing to the reading of his word.
One of my favorite scenes from Jesus of Nazareth
Amen!
…. and thanks Menagerie for bringing us this post!
Or, in the TLM, it’s Passion Sunday. Of course next Sunday is Palm Sunday!
Have a blessed, and holy week y’all!
Thank you Menagerie.
The second reading today was a doozy, too: Romans 8:8-11.
On October 25, 2021, this was also part of the daily reading. I was really puzzled by it. “Who is this ‘Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead? ‘ ” Paul is usually not at a loss for words. But here he seems to be. And what on earth: this same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit dwelling in you.” ? ? ? ? “this same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also.” “What, Lord, is this all about?” I asked.
Three days later, I went to the hospital with Covid. They transferred me to a different hospital. Presumably the EMTs weren’t paying attention, because my blood oxygen level was below 70% when I got there. They put me on a respirator for 10 days. You can probably see where this is going: “this same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead GAVE LIFE to my mortal body also.” Praise the Lord!!! And so I do!!!