My brothers and sisters, on this fifth Sunday of Lent, the mother Church presents us with a physiological condition called death and what happens after death. Day in, day out, families and friends undergo traumatic experiences at the death of loved ones. Death is often announced as sad news even when the deceased had lived a long life. Death claims its victim indiscriminately; when it uproots the prop of a family or the only growing bud, people often wonder why such a tragedy?

In the Gospel of today, a family friend of Jesus experienced the loss of a loved one. Mary, Martha and Lazarus were his friends whom he visited at home while in their vicinity. The Gospel presented us with the frustration, disappointment and anguish that goes with losing loved ones especially when they are young. Both Martha and Mary lamented to Jesus that, “if you were here, our brother would not have died”, but the presence of Jesus had given Martha some hope to add, “but I know that, even now whatever you ask God, he will grant you.” When Jesus said to Martha that her brother “will rise again”, Martha’s thought did not go to Jesus resuscitating him but the resurrection of her brother at the end of time, for she said, “I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.”

Jesus resuscitated Lazarus after sharing in the sorrow of Lazarus’ family by mourning their loss. However, the central message in today’s Gospel is not the resuscitation of Lazarus, but that life has a purpose, and death is not the end of life but only a transition to eternal life. Jesus said that “I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live”. Here Jesus is saying that life does not come to an end through physical death, but it opens the way to eternal glory. Similarly, Jesus is assuring us of our eternal salvation when he said that anyone who lives and believes in him will not know death. Here, death refers to our estrangement from God forever.

The preface for the dead affirms that, “… for your faithful, Lord, life is changed not ended, and when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven”. The Book of Wisdom brings it to our consciousness that it is not only the longevity of life, that is the yardstick to measure the hallmark of life, but how life was spent. Hence its declaration that, “the souls of the just are in the hands of God and no torment shall touch them. In eyes of the unwise they appear to be dead. Their going is held as a disaster; it seems that they lose everything by departing us, but they are in peace. Though seemly they have been punished, immortality was the soul of their hope. For God has tried them and found them worthy to be with him” (Wis 3:1–6).

Jesus died young, yet he is still remembered after two thousand years. We should not delay the Last Rites of our loved ones until they have lost consciousness.

Indeed, it is the responsibility of every believer to ask for the Last Rites when still conscious. For Last Rites include opportunity for reconciliation, re-affirming one’s Baptismal Promises, anointing with the Oil of the Sick (if one has not yet been anointed), and receiving Holy Communion. The most essential of all these is receiving Holy Communion as Viaticum (food for the Journey). In most cases the dying person is unable to receive the food for the journey because Priests were called in too late. The history of reserving Holy Communion in the tabernacle after Mass which was decreed by the 13th Canon of the Council of Nicaea in 325AD was to bring Communion to the sick and the dying.

Jesus Christ is our resurrection and our life who would not abandon us at the hour of our passing from this world.