The Fifth Sunday of Lent – First Reading – 03/22/2026

In this reading the prophet Ezekiel has a vision of God bringing Israel back to life, a precursor for us, and setting the stage for today’s Gospel of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Howdy, and welcome to Bob the Lector. I'm Bob. The purpose of this podcast is to inspire Catholic lectures to bring their proclamation of God's Word to life. This episode is for the March 22nd, Sunday Mass's first reading. It's the fifth Sunday of Lent, year A, a reading from the book of the Prophet Ezekiel. 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. The word of the Lord. Welcome to the fifth Sunday of Lent, only two more weeks till Easter. This is an awesome reading. It cues up the gospel perfectly and gives you the opportunity to bring hope to the discouraged. So let's get to it, shall we? I always start my own lecture practice with preparation, which is not the external proclamation, but the internal discernment of the message. What does God say unto us in this reading? What's the point of this reading? What's the meaning of this reading? Because if it doesn't mean anything to us, how can we as lectors make it mean anything to the congregation before us? For my own preparation, I focus on where the reading aims for the heart, because that's where the strongest emotional connection will register with the people in the pews. This passage is one of those, but some historical background is necessary to understand the context. Ezekiel was both a priest and a prophet. He was banished to Babylon in about 597 BC during the first exile. About ten years later, Nebuchadnezzar again attacked Israel, this time burning the temple and taking more of Judah into exile. At the time of this writing, the Israelites are in captivity, despairingly depressed. Ezekiel has a vision of God bringing him back to life. This is a promise of a homecoming for the deported and hope for the hopeless. Think of those people in the pews that are displaced, desperate, depressed, and feeling dead. Deliver this promise of hope and reason for optimism. In a theological sense, this reading is a prelude to our own spiritual resurrection, upon our own physical death, as well as our physical resurrection on the last day. This is a movement from death to life, a beautiful prelude to the gospel, where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead and announces, I am the resurrection. What lessons do you get from this reading? We start with, 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. Read the opening line, Thus says the Lord God, firmly, with a voice of authority, without being too dramatic. In this reading, God twice addresses the Israelites as, O my people, he is pleading with them, begging them to believe they are not abandoned. Use a similar tone of voice and facial expression to give life to the yearning God has for us, with a heartfelt demeanor, to specifically engage those in the congregation who are feeling depressed and dead. Make eye contact with the congregation for this line. Emphasize open, rise, back, and land. The phrase, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, is used here and is echoed in the next segment. So proclaim them similarly to draw attention to that repetition. Next we have, then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and have you rise from them. O my people, stress no, the first I open and rise. The line, I open your graves and have you rise from them, is a direct precursor to our gospel, where Jesus opens Lazarus's grave and brings him back to life. As before, proclaim, O my people, in a pleading and heartfelt manner, using direct eye contact with the congregation to cement this connection that God is yearning for them, especially those before you who feel hopeless and abandoned. The next segment 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. Highlight the first I, live, the second I, know, and the third eye. Make the congregation feel this is God speaking. Smile encouragingly during this segment. Maintain eye contact, especially during I Will Put My Spirit in You That You May Live. Because this promise wasn't just for the Israelites two and a half millennia ago. It's for the faithful before you in the here and now. Make them feel the longing God has for their happiness and well-being. Then we have the final segment. I have promised and I will do it, says the Lord. Memorize this section if you can, so you can deliver it with full eye contact. Smile warmly at the congregation because you're delivering the good news of God's promise. Emphasize promised and will. Say, I will do it, the same way you would use this in conversation if you were adamantly affirming a commitment you made. Well, that's all for now. Thanks for listening. My hope is these ideas will help you to find your authentic voice so your proclamation of God's word will transform your listeners, whether they're in pain and broken or just going through the motions. Because the good news deserves great delivery. Visit us on the web at bobtelector.org, and we'll see you at the Ambo.