The faithful worldwide celebrate the Fifth Sunday of Lent this weekend, on March 26, 2023.
The story of the resuscitation of Lazarus, told in churches worldwide during the Fifth Sunday of Lent, is a sign to die to oneself in order to live more fully in Christ, Fr. Jeffrey Kirby, a South Carolina faith leader, revealed to Fox News Digital.
The Fifth Sunday of Lent is the start of what is traditionally known as "Passiontide," said Kirby, the pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Indian Land, South Carolina.
This "is the intensified second part of Lent," he said, and "recalls the seclusion of the Lord Jesus from his public ministry as he prepares for his passion."
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"These final days of Lent, therefore, call believers to a somber preparation for the three-day observance of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ," he also said.
The liturgical season of Lent ends on Holy Thursday, the day that Jesus celebrated the Last Supper and instituted the sacraments of Holy Orders and the Eucharist.
The three-day period of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday are known as the "Paschal Triduum." It is the shortest liturgical season.
During Passiontide, some churches opt to cover statues and other decorations and stop the use of bells, said Kirby.
"These traditions are [enacted] to help believers understand the somberness and severity of the Lord’s forthcoming passion," he added.
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Statues and bells are brought back during Easter as part of the celebration of the Lord's resurrection from the dead, he also said.
The gospel passage for the Fifth Sunday of Lent in Roman Catholic Churches is John 11:1-45, the story of Jesus bringing Lazarus back from the dead.
"The Gospel of John tells us that the Lord was told, ‘Master, the one you love is ill.’ When Jesus heard this, he said, ‘This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it,’" said Kirby.
Jesus, however, waited two days before going to see Lazarus, which confused the apostles.
When Jesus arrived to see Lazarus — Lazarus had already died.
"It appeared that the Lord was mistaken when he said Lazarus’ illness would not end in death," said Kirby.
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Jesus then spoke with Lazarus' sisters and called for the tomb to be opened.
"The people were shocked. Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. The stench alone would have been overwhelming, let alone the offense of disturbing a corpse at peace," said Kirby.
But the stone was moved, and Jesus called for Lazarus to exit his tomb.
"To the total shock of everyone, the dead man was resuscitated and walked out of the tomb. He came forth covered in his burial garments," said Kirby.
"The event was earth-shattering. How could anyone raise the dead? The action was the Lord’s final sign before his own resurrection. The event was a ‘dress rehearsal’ for his own resurrection," he noted.
Unlike Christ, who through his resurrection would live forever, Lazarus would die eventually, said Kirby.
"He was only resuscitated, which is why he brought his burial garments with him from the tomb. The Lord Jesus was resurrected. The gospel tells us later, when he was risen, [that] his burial garments were left in the tomb — since the Lord would die no more," he said.
Jesus bringing Lazarus back from the dead "is a Lenten sign to all believers of what is to come after the Lord's passion and death," said Kirby.
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"Eternal life awaits those who love God. Death is not the end. It is not the conclusion to the story of our lives," he also said.
"The sign of Lazarus is a lesson and a cause for hope. It points us to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his victory over sin and death," said Kirby.
It "reveals eternal life to us and the glory that awaits all those who love God."
