Scripture Reflection - March 22, 2026

Fifth Sunday of Lent

First Reading: 1Ezekiel 37:12-14

Second Reading: Romans 8:8-11

Gospel: John 911:1-45

Untie her…Untie him…Be Free

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus arrives at the tomb of Lazarus, burdened by grief. He mourns the loss of his close friend, while Mary and Martha weep for their brother. Jesus’ first act is to thank God, then he calls forth Lazarus from the tomb. Lazarus emerges from the darkness alive, but still bound. In that moment, Jesus speaks powerful words to the crowd: “Untie him and let him go free.”

Jesus could have removed the cloths himself. Instead, he asks the community to participate in the act of liberation. It is a striking image of resurrection, liberation, and the power of community. When we forgive, when we listen, when we accompany someone in their pain, we help loosen the bonds that hold them captive. Just as importantly, we must sometimes humble ourselves to let others untie us.

In many ways, we are all Lazarus. We may be alive, moving through our days, but still wrapped in the burial cloths of anxiety, grief, anger, or old wounds. Past hurts can cling to us like those burial bands. Sometimes we carry resentment that tightens around the heart, or grief that weighs down our spirit. We may appear alive and functioning, yet inside, we feel restricted by wounds that have never fully healed.

Yet Jesus stands before our personal tombs and calls us by name. His voice reaches into the places where we feel trapped or buried. God does not want us to remain wrapped in what confines us. He calls us out of the shadow and into the light. Then Christ turns to those around us—our family, our friends, our community—and says, “Untie her…untie him…be free.”

Lent is a good time to consider what you need to be freed from. What is binding you? What is making it difficult for you to breathe? Do you believe God can lead you to a new life? Conversely, who can you help unbind? Who do you know that is currently tangled in hurt and needs your hands to help free them?

In Christ, resurrection is more than a distant promise; it is a present invitation. Jesus comes to free us, so that we may walk forward unbound, sharing the light of God’s love with others.

Sr. Terry Rickard, OP