FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT A Lectionary #34
The Third Scrutiny: Life. There are various forms of life and various forms of resurrection. There is the restoration to life that the people experienced when they were allowed to return from Exile; there is the restoration to life that people experience when they have a religious conversion; and there is the miraculous resurrection that Lazarus received. But the resurrection of Jesus surpasses all these, offering us more than we could possibly imagine.

Ezekiel 37:12-14. God promises to restore the people to their homeland and to give them a rebirth of faith.

Psalm of the Day: Ps (129) 130
Psalm 130 is another traditional "penitential psalm." Like Psalm 51, it is used by the Church during seasons and rituals of repentance. It sings of another kind of "resurrection"—the restoration of someone who is suffering, who has experienced God's mercy, forgiveness, and redemption.

Contigo, Mi Dios, Piedad/With You, O God (Hurd)  GP 276
Del Señor Viene la Misericordia (Taulé)  FYC 269
Del Señor Viene la Misericordia/With the Lord, There is Fullness (Hurd)  FYC 268/JS 105
There Is Mercy in the Lord   PSL A-42/SS
With Our God There Is Mercy (Manion)  GP 275/SP4 60
With the Lord There Is Fullness/Del Señor Viene la Misericordia (Hurd)   JS 105
With the Lord There Is Mercy (Alstott)   BB
With the Lord There Is Mercy (Bogdan)   PMB 592/WS/PRM A20
With the Lord There Is Mercy (Carroll/Gelineau)  WOR 799/RS 175/LPGG 803
With the Lord There Is Mercy (Guimont)   GC2 999/LPMG 34
With the Lord There Is Mercy (Haugen)  GC 127/GC2 71/PCY1 27/RS 176
With the Lord There Is Mercy (Isele)  CBW 56
With the Lord There Is Mercy (Janco)  PMB 172/WS
With the Lord There Is Mercy (Joncas)  MI‑BB/CBW 374/JS 393/RS 174/GP 344
With the Lord There Is Mercy (Jordan)  LMGM 512
With the Lord There Is Mercy (Roberts)   LMGM 511
With the Lord There Is Mercy (Schiavone)   JS 915/LP 46
With the Lord There Is Mercy (Smith)  MI‑BB/JS 106
With the Lord There Is Mercy (Willcock)   SS

Romans 8:8-11. Paul uses “flesh” to mean those who have not come to belief in Christ and “spirit” to mean those who have. For those who believe, the Spirit is at work restoring all of creation and raising it to the new life given us in Christ.

John 11:1-45. The story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus makes some points similar to those made in the previous week's Gospel: You need to see things from God's perspective in order to understand them. Jesus is the source of true life. Though he is “the Christ, the Son of God,” he is also very human, deeply touched by the sorrow of his friends at the death of Lazarus. God is acting through him not only in this miracle but also throughout his ministry (“I know that you always hear me”).

Third Scrutiny

In communities where there are elect preparing for baptism, the third scrutiny is celebrated today.  For appropriate musical settings, see RS 232/GC 98/JS 127/PMB 19/WC 218/WS. 

Songs for the Liturgy

A Living Hope (G)  CBW 613
Alive in Christ Jesus (2,G)  GC 799
Awake, O Sleeper (1,G)  WOR 586/RS 650, 729/GC 803/WC 788/WS
Broken Cisterns Walled in Stone (G)   JS 385
*Christ Is the World's Light, v 3 (2,G)  WOR 543
Christ's Church Shall Glory in His Power (G)  WOR 616/RS 777/SS
*Come Home (Ps)  GP 468
Eternal Lord of Love (1,2,G)  RS 554
*From Ashes to the Living Font (G)  WC 220, 522/RS 561/GC2 402/PMB 21, 236/WS/SS
*From the Depths (Ps)   JS 386/WC 525/WS/BB
*Give Judgment, Lord My Savior (E)   IH 19
God So Loved the World (G)   PMB 418/WC 803/WS
*God=s Holy Mystery (G)   PMB 297/WC 621/WS
*I Am the Bread of Life ‑‑ Toolan (G)  WOR 738/GC 828/GC2 822/WC 622/MI‑BB/LMGM 133/RS 931/WS/SS
*I Am the Resurrection (G,C)   CBW 647/PSL 43/SS
I Know That My Redeemer Lives B Hatton (2,G)  WOR 445/WC 707/MI‑BB/LMGM 63/GC 430/454/CBW 647/JS 131/RS 582/GP 388, 482/PMB 363/WS/SS
*I, the Lord (G)  GP 480/JS 584/MI‑BB
I Will Not Die (1)   JS 658/MI‑BB/RS 771/GP 716/GC 657
Jesus Has Conquered Death (G)  LMGM 62
Jesus, the Bread of Life (G)  GP 527/JS 817/MI‑BB
Keep in Mind (G)  WC 802/MI‑BB/GC 674/GC2 658/JS 589/RS 940/GP 492/PMB 36/WS/SS
Lead Me, Guide Me (Ps)  LMGM 168/WC 777/GC 574/GC2 555/RS 712/PMB 397/WS/MI-BB
Lift High the Cross (G)  WOR 704/CBW 435/GP 444/WC 748/MI‑BB/GC 791/GC2 785/JS 522/RS 884/PMB 393/WS/SS
Martha, Mary, Waiting, Weeping (G)   HG 102
*My God, My Strength (E)   PSL A-41/SS
*My Soul in Stillness Waits, esp refrain (Ps)  GC 336/GC2 328/RS 495/SS
Now in This Banquet, Lenten ref. (2,G)  GC 833/GC2 825/CBW 608/RS 933
Now We Remain (G)  GC 694/GC2 640/WC 628/MI‑BB/RS 813/WS/SS
*Out of the Depths (Ps)  MI‑BB/WC 520/JS 107,393/RS 947/GP 344/PMB 241/GC 877/WS
Praise to You, O Christ, Our Savior (2,G)  JS 674/MI‑BB/GC 515/GC2 517/CBW 442/RS 652/GP 662
Precious Lord, Take My Hand (1,G)  LMGM 162/GC 874/GC2 847/JS 572/MI‑BB/RS 754/WC 841/PMB 448/WS
*Remember Your Love, vss 2,4 (Ps)  GP 474/GC 881/GC2 851/JS 561/MI‑BB/RS 550
Roll Away the Stone (G)   JS 429/BB
Song of the Body of Christ (G)  GC 847/GC2 807/RS 924/MI‑BB/WC 631/WS
Take and Eat (G)  GC 831/GC2 812/CBW 611/WC 648/RS 910/WS
The Lord Jesus Christ (G)  CBW 436
*Tree of Life (G)  GC 401/GC2 397/CBW 373/RS 541/SS
Victory in Jesus (G)  LMGM 240
We Live Not for Ourselves (2)  JS 773
We Shall Rise Again (1,G)  RS 872/GC 772/GC2 762
We Will Rise Again (1,G)  JS 714/MI‑BB/GP 603
When Jesus Wept (G)   JS 418/BB
Yes, I Shall Arise ‑‑ Alstott (1,G)  GP 491/JS 590/MI‑BB
You Are the Voice (2,G)  GC 549/GC2 538/CBW 576/RS 659
You Are The Way (G)  CBW 441/WC 705/PMB 365/WS
*You Shall Be My People, v 5 (1)  WC 745