Sunday, March 22, 2026 is the Fifth Sunday of Lent — the last Sunday before Holy Week begins. It is a day that stands at the threshold between the journey of Lent and the drama of the Passion. The Church places before us today one of the most powerful and personal stories in all of Scripture: the raising of Lazarus.
Every Bible verse chosen for this day carries the same unmistakable message — that God is the Lord of life, that death is not the final word, and that resurrection hope is available to every believer, right now.
Whether you are seeking the liturgical readings, a personal devotional verse, or a Scripture to carry into your Sunday worship, today’s Bible verses speak with rare clarity and depth.
Liturgical Overview: What Sunday Is March 22, 2026?
On the Fifth Sunday of Lent, the Church concludes a three-week reflection on the Gospel of John, which presents the divinity of Christ through a series of powerful signs — water on the Third Sunday, light on the Fourth, and now, on this Fifth and final Sunday, Jesus revealed as the resurrection and the life.
March 22, 2026 falls in Year A of the liturgical calendar, which means the full Gospel of John 11:1–45 (the Raising of Lazarus) is proclaimed. The liturgical color remains purple/violet, the color of Lenten penitence and preparation.
Today’s Official Scripture Readings – March 22, 2026
The lectionary readings assigned for the Fifth Sunday of Lent (March 22, 2026) are:
- First Reading: Ezekiel 37:12–14
- Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 130:1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8
- Second Reading: Romans 8:8–11
- Gospel: John 11:1–45
| Reading | Book & Passage | Central Theme |
| First Reading | Ezekiel 37:12–14 | God opens graves and restores His people |
| Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 130:1–8 | Crying from the depths; mercy and redemption |
| Second Reading | Romans 8:8–11 | The Spirit of God gives life to mortal bodies |
| Gospel | John 11:1–45 | The raising of Lazarus — Jesus as resurrection and life |
First Reading — Ezekiel 37:12–14
“O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel… I will put my spirit in you that you may live… I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.”
What Ezekiel 37 Means for You Today?
The Word of God presents us with a powerful image of life snatched from death — the valley of dry bones, speaking of situations that seem entirely hopeless, where life has withdrawn and only inert matter remains. Yet God does not allow death to have the last word. He promises more than comfort: He promises resurrection.
Ezekiel spoke these words to a people in exile — stripped of their homeland, their Temple, their dignity. They felt buried alive. And God responded not with sympathy alone but with a radical promise: I will open your graves. He was not speaking metaphorically. He was telling His people that what looks like a permanent end is, in His hands, a beginning.
Your “grave” today might be a dead-end situation, a relationship that seems beyond repair, a dream you gave up on, or a grief you’ve been carrying. Ezekiel 37:12–14 speaks directly to those places.
Responsorial Psalm — Psalm 130
“Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; LORD, hear my voice!” “With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.”
Psalm 130 is one of the great penitential psalms of Scripture — a raw, honest cry from the deepest place of human despair. Psalm 130 promises fullness of redemption to those who trust in the Lord, no matter how far down they find themselves.
The refrain assigned for today is particularly beautiful: “With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.” Not partial mercy. Not conditional redemption. Fullness. This is the word God offers you on this Sunday.
Second Reading — Romans 8:8–11
“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.”
The Power of Romans 8:8–11
Saint Paul assures the early Roman Christians — and all of us — that the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, and who dwells within us, will raise our mortal bodies to life on the Last Day. Paul considers the resurrection of Jesus the very basis for our hope of sharing in that resurrection.
This verse is not a distant promise for some far-off future. It is a present reality. The Spirit of the risen Christ lives in every believer today. That means the resurrection power of God is not locked away in history — it is dwelling inside you right now, actively at work in your body, your mind, and your circumstances.
Romans 8:8–11 is the theological backbone of today’s readings. Ezekiel prophesied it. The Psalm cried out for it. And the Gospel of John demonstrated it in the person of Lazarus. Paul simply explains the mechanism: the Holy Spirit is the agent of resurrection life, and He already lives in you.
Gospel — John 11:1–45 (The Raising of Lazarus)
“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.” — John 11:25–26
The Story at a Glance
Lazarus was one of the Lord’s good friends, the brother of the sisters Mary and Martha. He became very sick and died, and the Lord purposefully went late, reaching Bethany only after Lazarus had been in the tomb — so that everything would come to be within God’s plan, and for God to be glorified through what His Son would do.
When Jesus finally arrives, the scene is saturated with grief. Martha meets Him with words that millions of believers have echoed across history: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” It is the prayer of the desperate. The prayer of those who feel God arrived too late.
Jesus does not correct her grief. He enters it. “Jesus wept.” Two of the most significant words in the entire Bible. The Son of God stood at the tomb of His friend and let the tears fall. Before displaying divine power, He displayed divine compassion.
“Lazarus, Come Out!” — The Seventh Sign
The raising of Lazarus is the seventh of John’s seven signs, a sign that tells us about Jesus and about ourselves — that He is the resurrection and the life and that resurrection is our destiny for those who believe. What He is, He accomplishes; the signs testify. He is the Messiah. He is light and life.
The miracle is stunning in its specifics: four days in the tomb, the stone already sealed, the family warning of decomposition. Every natural and human circumstance pointed to irreversibility. And then Jesus spoke. One name. One command. “Lazarus, come out.” And the dead man walked out.
But the story does not end there. Jesus turns to those around him and says, “Unbind him, and let him go.” The miracle involves the community. They must help remove the signs of death and return Lazarus to life among his own.
What the Lazarus Story Means for Your Sunday?
Martha and the family symbolize the gradual growth of faith — from “the dead will rise” as a theoretical concept, to encounters with Christ’s invitation to live from His Spirit right now, in the present moment.
This is Sunday’s invitation for you. Stop treating resurrection as a future doctrine and start receiving it as a present reality. Is there something in your life that has been “in the tomb” too long? Jesus is standing outside it today. He knows your name. And He is about to speak.
Additional Bible Verse for Sunday, March 22, 2026
Beyond the liturgical readings, the verse assigned for March 22 by 2nd Avenue Church’s daily Scripture reading plan is Psalm 130 — perfectly aligned with today’s Fifth Sunday of Lent theme of crying out from the depths and finding mercy in God.
Other powerful verses to meditate on throughout this Sunday:
- John 11:25 — “I am the resurrection and the life.”
- Romans 8:11 — The Spirit who raised Jesus dwells in you.
- Ezekiel 37:14 — “I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.”
- Psalm 130:7 — “With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.”
These four verses together form a complete spiritual portrait of what God is offering you on this particular Sunday.
Conclusion
The Bible verses of the day for Sunday, March 22, 2026 — the Fifth Sunday of Lent — carry a single, overwhelming message: God raises the dead. From Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones to Lazarus walking out of his tomb to Paul’s assurance that resurrection power lives inside every believer, today’s Scripture is not a comfort offered from a distance. It is a declaration made from right beside you.
Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Not was. Not will be. Is. Present tense. Active. Alive. The way we draw near to resurrection and life is by drawing near to Jesus — by loving Him, by becoming His friend. Christianity is not some esoteric philosophy; it is humble friendship with God.
Take that friendship into your Sunday. Let these verses rest in your heart. And if there is something in your life that feels sealed in a tomb — trust the One who has never been stopped by a stone.
Robert Hugh Benson shares inspiring Bible verses and faith-filled reflections on Prayer Forest to guide readers toward peace, hope, and prayer.