March 22, 2026 Homily: Fr. Vigoa — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:02There's a moment in today's gospel that
2. 0:05changes everything.
3. 0:08Jesus stands in front of the tomb,
4. 0:11a sealed, dark, hopeless place,
5. 0:15and he cries out, "Lazarus, come out."
6. 0:20And the dead man walks out.
7. 0:24If you hear this just as a miracle
8. 0:26story,
9. 0:28you've missed it.
10. 0:30This is not just about Lazarus.
11. 0:33This is about all of us.
12. 0:37For the past 3 weeks, the church has
13. 0:39been leading us somewhere.
14. 0:41Not randomly,
15. 0:43not accidentally, very intentional.
16. 0:482 weeks ago, you'll remember we heard
17. 0:50about the Samaritan woman at the well.
18. 0:54The theme was thirst.
19. 0:58A woman trying to satisfy everything in
20. 1:00her life and still came up empty.
21. 1:05Last week, the man born blind.
22. 1:09The theme was blindness.
23. 1:12A man unable to see what was right in
24. 1:14front of him.
25. 1:18And today, the rising of Lazarus.
26. 1:21The raising up of Lazarus.
27. 1:24The theme is death. Not physical death,
28. 1:27spiritual death.
29. 1:32Here's the uncomfortable truth.
30. 1:35Most people we know, maybe someone here,
31. 1:38most people,
32. 1:40they're just existing.
33. 1:42They're functioning.
34. 1:45Day to day, one day bleeds into the
35. 1:48next. They're busy,
36. 1:51but are they spiritual?
37. 1:55They could be dead.
38. 1:57Alive on the outside,
39. 1:59but disconnected on the inside.
40. 2:03Going through the motions,
41. 2:05but no real life of God within them.
42. 2:09And we've become very good at hiding it.
43. 2:13We dress it up.
44. 2:15We distract ourselves. We fill our
45. 2:17schedules to the brim.
46. 2:20We are constantly scrolling through
47. 2:23social media.
48. 2:25We work hard. We achieve. We entertain.
49. 2:28But underneath it all, there's this
50. 2:31silence.
51. 2:32Almost a numbness.
52. 2:35A distance from God.
53. 2:39And Jesus walks into that reality today
54. 2:41and he does something shocking.
55. 2:45He doesn't avoid the tomb. He goes
56. 2:47straight up to it.
57. 2:50And then he says something that should
58. 2:51shake us. "Take away that stone."
59. 2:56Do you hear that?
60. 2:59He doesn't try to remove the stone
61. 3:01himself.
62. 3:03He tells them to do it.
63. 3:06Because before resurrection, there has
64. 3:08to be exposure.
65. 3:11Before life, there has to be honesty.
66. 3:16And Martha resists.
67. 3:18"Lord, by now, there must be a stench.
68. 3:22He's been dead for 4 days."
69. 3:25What that translates into is, "Don't go
70. 3:27there.
71. 3:29It's too far gone.
72. 3:31It's too embarrassing. It's too broken."
73. 3:36And if we're honest, that's all of us.
74. 3:39There are areas of our life we don't
75. 3:41want God to touch, at least not yet.
76. 3:45Old wounds, hidden sins,
77. 3:49patterns we've made peace with.
78. 3:52We say, "Lord, not that."
79. 3:57But here's the thing, you can't
80. 3:58experience resurrection if you keep the
81. 4:01tomb sealed.
82. 4:04And then comes that line, "Lazarus, come
83. 4:07out."
84. 4:09Jesus does not negotiate with death.
85. 4:13He commands it.
86. 4:15And Lazarus comes out.
87. 4:18But notice one thing.
88. 4:20He comes out still bound.
89. 4:23Hands are tied,
90. 4:25feet tied, face covered,
91. 4:28alive,
92. 4:30but not yet free.
93. 4:33And Jesus says something most people
94. 4:35overlook. "Untie him and let him go."
95. 4:39That's the spiritual life.
96. 4:43Christ raises you,
97. 4:46but then you have to be freed.
98. 4:49Because it is possible to be alive and
99. 4:51still live like you're dead.
100. 4:55Still bound to habits.
101. 4:58Still bound to fear. Still bound to
102. 5:01those sins.
103. 5:04And here's where the gospel becomes very
104. 5:06direct.
105. 5:07Because Jesus is not just showing his
106. 5:09power, he's asking for your response.
107. 5:13He says to Martha, "Do you believe
108. 5:15this?"
109. 5:18Not, "Do you understand this?" Not, "Do
110. 5:22you somewhat agree with what I'm
111. 5:23saying?"
112. 5:25No, he says, "Do you believe this?"
113. 5:29Because belief is not intellectual.
114. 5:31Belief is surrender.
115. 5:34And this is where everything comes
116. 5:36together
117. 5:37from the last 3 weeks. Thirst,
118. 5:39blindness, death.
119. 5:42We are thirsty for meaning and we search
120. 5:45and search and search.
121. 5:47We're blind to the truth.
122. 5:50He's standing right there in front of
123. 5:51us.
124. 5:53And without Christ, we are completely
125. 5:56dead.
126. 5:59Jesus is not one option among many.
127. 6:03He's not a helpful addition to your
128. 6:05life. He He's not a spiritual upgrade.
129. 6:08He is the answer that you are searching
130. 6:11for.
131. 6:13The only one who can satisfy the thirst.
132. 6:17The only one that can give you clear
133. 6:19sight.
134. 6:20The only one who can tell you to come
135. 6:23out of that tomb finally.
136. 6:27That's why the church gives us this
137. 6:29gospel just before Easter.
138. 6:32Why? Because you cannot celebrate the
139. 6:34resurrection if you're still living in
140. 6:36that cave, in the tomb.
141. 6:40So, here's the challenge. Not
142. 6:42theoretical, but a real challenge.
143. 6:47What is that stone in your life that's
144. 6:50blocking you from exiting that tomb?
145. 6:53What have you sealed off?
146. 6:56What are you avoiding?
147. 6:58What are you justifying?
148. 7:02What have you decided, "Well, this is
149. 7:03just how I am"?
150. 7:07Why? Because Christ is standing there
151. 7:09right now saying, "Take away the stone."
152. 7:14And then he's saying, "Come out."
153. 7:17Not tomorrow. Not when it's convenient.
154. 7:19Not when you have all the answers. Not
155. 7:21when you feel ready. No, right now. Come
156. 7:23out.
157. 7:25And maybe for some of you, that first
158. 7:26step is going to confession.
159. 7:30The confession you've been putting off,
160. 7:32avoiding, making excuses. "Oh, I can
161. 7:35just confess my sins to the big big man
162. 7:38upstairs."
163. 7:42But you can't stay in that cave, in that
164. 7:44tomb.
165. 7:47You can't stay in that tomb and expect
166. 7:49to feel alive.
167. 7:52Maybe for others, it's prayer.
168. 7:54Real prayer.
169. 7:56A real connection with the Lord.
170. 7:58Spending the time that the Lord asks of
171. 8:01you in communion with him.
172. 8:03Not on the surface, but actually letting
173. 8:05in and and dedicating the time to him.
174. 8:08Maybe for others, it's a relationship
175. 8:10that you've let go.
176. 8:13A relationship that you know that you
177. 8:14should heal and you don't.
178. 8:17Maybe for you, it's that habit, a bad
179. 8:20habit that you keep falling into over
180. 8:22and over again. Or maybe a pattern uh
181. 8:25that is killing your soul. That one sin
182. 8:29that you go to [music]
183. 8:31that is killing your soul. And you know
184. 8:33what it is.
185. 8:36And whatever it is, this gospel is not
186. 8:38asking you to admire Lazarus. It's
187. 8:40asking you, "Will you come out of the
188. 8:42tomb?"
189. 8:44Because Christ is calling you.
190. 8:47Not in theory, not in general, but by
191. 8:50name.
192. 8:52And if you respond, if you actually let
193. 8:55him in,
194. 8:57your life will change.
195. 9:00Not slightly, not gradually. Prom- I
196. 9:04promise you, your life will drastically
197. 9:06change, radically change. Because when
198. 9:09Christ enters the tomb, death does not
199. 9:12get the final word. He does.
200. 9:15So, don't just stand there.
201. 9:18Don't delay.
202. 9:20Don't pretend not to hear him. Come out.
203. 9:24And once you're out, don't go back into
204. 9:26the tomb.
205. 9:29Because the life he offer you offers you
206. 9:31is not survival, it's resurrection.
207. 9:35"Lazarus, come out."
208. 9:38Hear your name.
209. 9:40And today, he's calling you.
210. 9:43Amen. Amen.