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Fifth Sunday of Lent
March 13, 2005
I will put my spirit in you that you may live.
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezechial 37: 12-14
The Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you.
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans 8:8-11
I am the resurrection and the life.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 11: 1-45
A few years ago I was on a hike near Saint Michael’s Abbey, where I live. I came across a dead cow that was well on its way to decay. The maggots had gotten to it and the stench was overpowering to the point I wanted to gag. Death and decay is not a pretty sight or smell. I hiked on further. Later, I came upon an apple tree full of blossoms. It was a beautiful sight. The tree was covered with delicate white petals; the fragrance was soft and refreshing. Honeybees were busily moving from blossom to blossom collecting nectar, pollinating as they went.
Maggots or honeybees
Maggots are creatures of death; honeybees are creatures of life.
Maggots gather at the stench of death; honeybees gather at the fragrance of life.
Maggots made no honey from the dead cow; honeybees made honey from the blossoms.
You won’t find maggots on flowers or honeybees at the carcass.
Death has a smell; it is rotten and foul. Life has a smell; it is light and fresh.
In the Gospel when Jesus commands them to roll back the stone of the tomb where Lazarus was there arose the objection: “There will be a stench, he has been dead four days.” Lazarus’ decaying body would have had the same awful stench as the dead cow I came across. But something truly wonderful happened when Jesus calls forth a dead man, “ Lazarus, come out.” He comes out, not full of death and stench, but very much alive.
Jesus reversed and suspended the powers and reality of death and corruption. Jesus was demonstrating for them and us who he was and why he came. Only God can restore life, and this is why Jesus came to restore life to us under the curse of death.
As humans we face death on two levels, bodily and spiritually. Bodily death should not be our ultimate concern however, because in the resurrection of the body our bodies will follow what has happened to our souls. Meaning if our souls die by choosing to be separated from God our bodies in the resurrection will have the stench of death and maintain an eternal corruption- an eternal death. It would be like the decaying cow, and the maggots are demons feeding on decaying flesh and this is forever. This imagery does not even come close to the reality of eternal death. In this situation, the tormented body and soul wishes it did not exist.
If our souls choose life, that is, to be united with God, then in the resurrection of the body we will enjoy the fullness of life. No stench or decay here. Young, healthy, beautiful, sweet smelling bodies with powers far beyond what we experience now, and this forever.
If you like your body and want it to live forever, the best way to care for it is caring for your soul. In the resurrection our bodies will radiate the perfection and beauty of our souls. Sin, all sin, will have a physical/bodily consequence. Mary has the highest place in heaven because she had no sin on her soul and the radiance and glory of her body reflects that. Those who have seen her attest to this fact there are not earthly words to describe her radiance and beauty. Mary’s beauty comes from the inside and radiates out.
As a culture we spend far too much time and energy worrying about the state of our bodies; how it looks, how it smells, and far too little time on the state of our souls.
Our souls have a smell, either the odor of sanctity or the odor of death.
Our souls have either the stench of the decaying cow or the fragrance of the blossoms.
Our souls are either attracting maggots or honeybees.
If it’s maggots, which is often the case, Jesus is here and ready to change that, like he raised Lazarus from decay to life. Jesus said, “Lazarus, come out.” Jesus uses our name also, Vincent, Joe, Cathy, Mike, Sara, Rachel. Come out! Come out of sin. Come away from the things that make your soul stench, that separate you from God.
A good way to gauge the state of our soul is to ask ourselves this question. Do we put as much care and concern into the care of our souls as we do our bodies? For example, a lot of people work out. If we work out an hour a day, then one hour should be spent in spiritual exercises-prayer. How often do we visit a Dr.? How often is the Dr. of the soul visited in Confession? I have four sisters. Women spend much time and effort on make-up and hair, just think, if they would spend as much time on holiness and spiritual beauty.
The state of our souls will ultimately be the state of our bodies. If we really want beautiful, radiant, glorious bodies we best start now working on our souls. No matter how much time or effort we put into our bodies, we may end up like the cow………
Maggots or honeybees- what will it be?
Maggots gather at the stench of death.
Honeybees gather at the fragrance of life.
Father Vincent Gilmore O. Praem