To the Ends of the Earth: Character – Catholic Men’s Devotionals, Week 6 – The Grain of Wheat
To the Ends of the Earth: Witness – Week 8, Day 4 – At God's Command, the Dead Come Back to Life
Photo by Mads Schmidt Rasmussen on Unsplash
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this on account of the people standing by, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Laz’arus, come out.” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
John 11:39–44
God’s word has the power to call us from death to life and the power to move us to give our lives over in service for the kingdom. His word commands us to reach the lost and to bring them to life in him, through his Church. Like Lazarus, at the word of God, we are called forth from the tomb of our sin and unbound so that we can live our resurrected life within the Body of believers.
There are some who have said that if Jesus had not spoken Lazarus’ name specifically, all the dead in the local cemetery would have come forth from their graves. While this statement is amusing, it does emphasize an important point: God brings us to life in a way that is personal to each one of us. He knows and calls us by name and expresses his will for our lives. He also calls us to union with the Church so that we can love others in his name. Let us honor that personal and communal call by living out our resurrected life for him.
Questions for reflection
Has there been a time in your life when God called you forth from death into life? What was that like?
When has Jesus spoken into your doubt and brought his resurrection power to bear upon a hopeless circumstance?
How can you carry out Christ’s command to bring his life to dead souls today?
Praying with Scripture
“He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise.” (Luke 24:5–7)
You can learn more about the To the Ends of the Earth Series HERE
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About the Author
Mark C. McCann is an author and Ministry Consultant with more than 30 years of writing and ministry experience. He has published articles for a number of Catholic magazines and websites including St. Anthony Messenger, Emmanuel Magazine, Liguorian Magazine, Catholic Stand, the Connecticut Catholic Men's Conference, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He recently published the 4-volume Catholic men's devotional, To the Ends of the Earth, as well as the 2021 Advent Daybreaks devotional and 2022 Lenten Daybreaks devotional with Liguori Publishing. He has also released his End Times novel series, Jacob's Dream: The Vision and Jacob's Dream: The Final Battle. He was a radio host and producer for 8 years at a Connecticut Christian radio station and has worked as a Catholic religion teacher/campus minister and a parish youth minister. He has also served the Norwich, CT Diocese as a Youth Ministry Director and Family Life Director. He currently lives in Connecticut with his Proverbs 31 wife, where together they have brought up three incredible children. He strives each day to live out his call to be a man of words. You can learn more about Mark and his writing at www.wordsnvisions.com.
