It is 29th March 2020. We are celebrating the Fifth Sunday of Lent. The readings are from Ezekiel 37:12-14; the second reading is from Romans 8:8-11; and the Gospel is from John 11:1-45. We are all faced with the known threat of covid-19 virus scare everywhere. Fear of infection, spreading and dying is in the air all around. Our governments, paramedics and all the care-givers working round-the-clock to keep us safe and healthy. Our bones are getting dried of fear, negative information and lack of life-giving resources. There is so much hope and healing for those who listen, learn, and preserve life. God wants to enter our life. Out of every four covid-19 infected, two are healed and the other two are on the process of healing. It is a question of time that brings about healing rays fall upon all people. There is always a new beginning with God. No matter how hopeless and dying we could be in a condition, still there is so much of hope and healing available from the Lord. God desires to restore our being, spirit and body that is broken by the pandemic all around. It is not time to panic but to pray, be patient and to promote wellness and health in and around us. Giving new life is not only possible for God but also for everyone who is open, willing and generous to share our positive approach to life with others and part of hard-earned wealth could be put in use for those national relief programs. God is not indifferent, cold-hearted and distant to our pain. God feels our pain and wishes us to offer new life in His Beloved Son Jesus. The first reading states that God wants to breathe God’s spirit again in our body and spirit. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,” says the Lord. (Ez. 37:14). The responsorial Psalm echoes, “With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.” (Ps.129:7). St. Paul continues to stress that those who live a life in the spirit are endowed with the life that leads eternal. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.” (Rom. 8:11). The Gospel presents us with the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Jesus associates, accompanies, approaches swiftly to provide the impossible for the family of Lazarus. Jesus does not display sympathy alone but always provides empathy. Understanding the feeling of the other is the need of the hour during this pandemic. Some are succumbed to death, some others are still in physiological, psychological and emotional pain coupled with spiritual stagnancy. “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” (Jn.11:25). No end is an end for a believer but it is a beginning for something towards God. Every life-generating womb can remain a tomb without God, but with the Spirit of God every tomb can turn into a womb that offers life in fullness without any conditions attached. With God, we can overcome and heal the land, home and hearts. May we put our trust in God who is willing to renew, rejuvenate, reimburse and rebuild when we are ready to obey and trust God completely. May you have a good day. God bless you.