Saturday of the 5th week of Lent
Ezekiel 37: 21-28 John 11: 45-57
Theme: I will be their God
The 1st reading from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, presents to us a message of great hope from God. It is a situation in which God showed the depth of his love for his people and by extension you and I as followers of Christ in our own time. He is concerned about our peace and unity, and he promises to restore it in our lives. He is willing to let our sins slide, and we will be re-united with him again and enjoy his presence and blessings in our life. Simply put, the Lord assures us today that he is going to begin with us on a clean slate; our sins are wiped away and he will be our God while we will be his people.
This is an open invitation to all of us and we must accept it joyfully from God. We must do all within our power to ensure that nothing removes us from being one of the people of God. We must ensure that no sin or evil stops us from accepting the invitation of God. My brothers and sisters in Christ, the season of Lent presents us a strong opportunity to say a firm yes to the invitation of God; we are his people, and he is our God. This goes to show that no matter the situation we are passing through now, God will not desert us; he is still our God and we, his people. Trust in God and remain steadfast in faith.
We see the plan to arrest Jesus continues to increase as we get closer to the Holy Week. The people have been asked to arrest Jesus wherever they find him, and Jesus is no longer moving openly like he use to do. We see how far insecurity can take us in our dealings with other people. The fear of the chief priests and the Pharisees is the increasing popularity of Jesus, and they are willing to kill him to bring everything to an end. My brothers and sisters in Christ, insecurity in issues that has to do with God, is something we must try to guide against, it is evil and destructive. This is because we may end up fighting against God who is a superior power, even without our knowledge, just like the chief priests and the Pharisees in today’s gospel.
The season of Lent is a period of Gods abundant grace, let us accept his invitation today and be reconciled with him. As you do this, may almighty God bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Peace be with you.