FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT ST. PAUL'S CATHOLIC CHURCH TAFOKI
3/22/2026
(Listening to the Voice of God Even in the Grave)
Today we celebrate the fifth Sunday of Lent, the last Sunday before Palm Sunday. The readings remind us of a God whose Word is not powerless, but living and active. A God who speaks into graves, into tombs, into places of despair, and brings life where death once reigned.
The prophet Ezekiel proclaims: “I will open your graves, O my people, and I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live.” This is not just history. It is promise. Whatever has died in us (our zeal for holiness, our trust in God, our broken relationships, our motivation to keep going, financial struggles, broken homes, sense of sacredness of life, failures in every aspects of our lives, our peace of mind...) God’s Word can breathe new life. His Spirit can raise us up.
We may have tombs that hold us captive: tombs of sin, tombs of fear, tombs of addiction, tombs of depression, tombs of stagnation. But hear this: God’s voice calls us out. He says, “Come forth!” And when He calls, no tomb can hold us.
However, Saint Paul reminds us in the second reading: “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” To live in the Spirit means putting to death the old lifestyle. It means choosing righteousness, kindness, and love. Because, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us. That Spirit empowers us to rise above fear, temptation, and despair.
Sometimes God delays. Just as Jesus delayed before visiting Lazarus, sometimes our prayers seem unanswered. But delay is not denial. Delay is preparation for testimony. When the time comes, God will act. When the time comes, He will favor us.
And let us not forget,Jesus wept. He is not distant. He feels our pain in heartbreak, unemployment, loneliness, anxieties, betrayal, fear, the pressure, the frustration and depression...He shares in our suffering, and at the appointed time, He will answer us and make it happen. But He also commands: “Unbind him, and let him go.” After God revives us, we must let go of the habits, the doubts, the toxic ties that keep us bound. Freedom is not just being raised, it is walking forward unbound.
Like Martha, let us say with faith: “Even now I know…” Even now, when situations look irreversible. Even now, when life suggests God is late. Even now, when the options are to choose other gods or means... let us still trust in God. And in trusting, we will see the glory of God.
May we learn to listen to the voice of God even in the grave. May we allow His Spirit to breathe life into our exhaustion, His Word to call us out of despair, and His love to set us free. May every delay become a testimony, and may every tomb become a place where God’s glory shines.
