Readings for the Year BReadings for the Fifth Sunday of LentReading I Ez 37:12-14 Thus says the Lord GOD:  O my people, I will open your graves  and have you rise from them,  and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD,  when I open your graves and have you rise from them,  O my people! I will put my spirit in you that you may live,  and I will settle you upon your land;  thus you shall know that I am the LORD. I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD. Responsorial Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 R. (7) With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption. Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;     LORD, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive     to my voice in supplication. R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption. If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,     LORD, who can stand? But with you is forgiveness,     that you may be revered. R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption. I trust in the LORD;     my soul trusts in his word. More than sentinels wait for the dawn,     let Israel wait for the LORD.R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption. For with the LORD is kindness     and with him is plenteous redemption; And he will redeem Israel     from all their iniquities.R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption. Reading II Rom 8:8-11 Brothers and sisters: Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh;  on the contrary, you are in the spirit,  if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you,  although the body is dead because of sin,  the spirit is alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,  the one who raised Christ from the dead  will give life to your mortal bodies also,  through his Spirit dwelling in you. Verse Before the Gospel Jn 11:25a, 26 I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will never die. Gospel Jn 11:1-45 Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany,  the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil  and dried his feet with her hair;  it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. So the sisters sent word to him saying,  “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.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill,  he remained for two days in the place where he was. Then after this he said to his disciples,  “Let us go back to Judea.” The disciples said to him,  “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you,  and you want to go back there?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If one walks during the day, he does not stumble,  because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks at night, he stumbles,  because the light is not in him.”  He said this, and then told them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.” So the disciples said to him, “Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.” But Jesus was talking about his death,  while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep.  So then Jesus said to them clearly, “Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe.  Let us go to him.” So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples,  “Let us also go to die with him.” When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus  had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary  to comfort them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus,  “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life;  whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,  and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” When she had said this,  she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying,  “The teacher is here and is asking for you.” As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and went to him. For Jesus had not yet come into the village,  but was still where Martha had met him. So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her  saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her,  presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him,  she fell at his feet and said to him,  “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping,  he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,  “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.” And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” But some of them said,  “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man  have done something so that this man would not have died?” So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,  “Lord, by now there will be a stench;  he has been dead for four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe  you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me;  but because of the crowd here I have said this,  that they may believe that you sent me.” And when he had said this, He cried out in a loud voice,  “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands,  and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him. OR:  Jn 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45 The sisters of Lazarus sent word to Jesus, saying,  “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.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill,  he remained for two days in the place where he was. Then after this he said to his disciples,  "Let us go back to Judea.” When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus  had already been in the tomb for four days. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him;  but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus,  “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life;  whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,  and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” He became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,  “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.” And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” But some of them said,  “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man  have done something so that this man would not have died?” So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,  “Lord, by now there will be a stench;  he has been dead for four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe  you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said,  “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me;  but because of the crowd here I have said this,  that they may believe that you sent me.” And when he had said this, He cried out in a loud voice,  “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands,  and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him. - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Reading 1 Jer 11:18-20 I knew their plot because the LORD informed me;at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings.Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter,had not realized that they were hatching plots against me:"Let us destroy the tree in its vigor;let us cut him off from the land of the living,so that his name will be spoken no more."But, you, O LORD of hosts, O just Judge,searcher of mind and heart,Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,for to you I have entrusted my cause! Responsorial Psalm Ps 7:2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12 R. (2a) O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.O LORD, my God, in you I take refuge;save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,Lest I become like the lion's prey,to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me.R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.Do me justice, O LORD, because I am just,and because of the innocence that is mine.Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,but sustain the just,O searcher of heart and soul, O just God.R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.A shield before me is God,who saves the upright of heart;A just judge is God,a God who punishes day by day.R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge. Verse Before the Gospel See Lk 8:15 Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heartand yield a harvest through perseverance. Gospel Jn 7:40-53 Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said,"This is truly the Prophet."Others said, "This is the Christ."But others said, "The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David's familyand come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?"So a division occurred in the crowd because of him.Some of them even wanted to arrest him,but no one laid hands on him.So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees,who asked them, "Why did you not bring him?"The guards answered, "Never before has anyone spoken like this man."So the Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived?Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed."Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them, "Does our law condemn a man before it first hears himand finds out what he is doing?"They answered and said to him,"You are not from Galilee also, are you?Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee."Then each went to his own house. - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Reading 1 Wis 2:1a, 12-22 The wicked said among themselves, thinking not aright:"Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;he sets himself against our doings,Reproaches us for transgressions of the lawand charges us with violations of our training.He professes to have knowledge of Godand styles himself a child of the LORD.To us he is the censure of our thoughts; merely to see him is a hardship for us,Because his life is not like that of others,and different are his ways.He judges us debased;he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure.He calls blest the destiny of the justand boasts that God is his Father.Let us see whether his words be true;let us find out what will happen to him.For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend himand deliver him from the hand of his foes.With revilement and torture let us put him to the testthat we may have proof of his gentlenessand try his patience.Let us condemn him to a shameful death;for according to his own words, God will take care of him."These were their thoughts, but they erred;for their wickedness blinded them,and they knew not the hidden counsels of God;neither did they count on a recompense of holinessnor discern the innocent souls' reward. Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:17-18, 19-20, 21 and 23 R. (19a) The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.The LORD confronts the evildoers,to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,and from all their distress he rescues them.R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.Many are the troubles of the just man,but out of them all the LORD delivers him.R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.He watches over all his bones;not one of them shall be broken.The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. Verse Before the Gospel Mt 4:4b One does not live on bread alone,but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. Gospel Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 Jesus moved about within Galilee;he did not wish to travel in Judea,because the Jews were trying to kill him.But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near.But when his brothers had gone up to the feast,he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said,"Is he not the one they are trying to kill?And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him.Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ?But we know where he is from.When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from."So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said,"You know me and also know where I am from.Yet I did not come on my own,but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true.I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me."So they tried to arrest him,but no one laid a hand upon him,because his hour had not yet come. - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Reading 1 Ex 32:7-14 The LORD said to Moses,"Go down at once to your peoplewhom you brought out of the land of Egypt,for they have become depraved.They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them,making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it,sacrificing to it and crying out,'This is your God, O Israel,who brought you out of the land of Egypt!'The LORD said to Moses,"I see how stiff-necked this people is.Let me alone, then,that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them.Then I will make of you a great nation."But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying,"Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people,whom you brought out of the land of Egyptwith such great power and with so strong a hand?Why should the Egyptians say,'With evil intent he brought them out,that he might kill them in the mountainsand exterminate them from the face of the earth'?Let your blazing wrath die down;relent in punishing your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel,and how you swore to them by your own self, saying,'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky;and all this land that I promised,I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.'"So the LORD relented in the punishmenthe had threatened to inflict on his people. Responsorial Psalm Ps 106:19-20, 21-22, 23 R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.Our fathers made a calf in Horeband adored a molten image;They exchanged their gloryfor the image of a grass-eating bullock.R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.They forgot the God who had saved them,who had done great deeds in Egypt,Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,terrible things at the Red Sea.R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.Then he spoke of exterminating them,but Moses, his chosen one,Withstood him in the breachto turn back his destructive wrath.R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people. Verse Before the Gospel Jn 3:16 God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life. Gospel Jn 5:31-47 Jesus said to the Jews: "If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true.But there is another who testifies on my behalf,and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true.You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.I do not accept human testimony,but I say this so that you may be saved.He was a burning and shining lamp,and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.But I have testimony greater than John's.The works that the Father gave me to accomplish,these works that I perform testify on my behalfthat the Father has sent me.Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form,and you do not have his word remaining in you,because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.You search the Scriptures,because you think you have eternal life through them;even they testify on my behalf.But you do not want to come to me to have life."I do not accept human praise;moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I came in the name of my Father,but you do not accept me;yet if another comes in his own name,you will accept him.How can you believe, when you accept praise from one anotherand do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father:the one who will accuse you is Moses,in whom you have placed your hope.For if you had believed Moses,you would have believed me,because he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings,how will you believe my words?" - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.