How often have we, like Martha and Mary, blurted out those
same words of pain and despair: "Lord, if only you had been here such and
such an incident would not have happened to me?
Where is God in the midst of human tragedies? God is there
in the midst of it all, weeping. This is our God who stands in deep, human
solidarity with us, and through the glory of the Incarnation, embracing fully
our human condition.
The story of the raising of Lazarus also speaks to us about
another kind of death. We can be dead, even before we die, while we are still
in this life. This is not only the death of the soul caused by sin but also
rather a death that manifests itself through the absence of energy, hope, a
desire to fight and to continue to life.
Words of encouragement often fail to effect any change. Many
times people in these situations are not able to do anything, not even pray.
They are like Lazarus in the tomb. They need others to do something for them.
Jesus once spoke these words to his disciples: "Heal
the sick, raise the dead" (Matthew 10:8). Among the corporal works of
mercy: feeding the hungry; giving drink to the thirsty; clothing the naked;
sheltering the homeless; visiting the sick; visiting prisoners, the last one is
burying the dead. Today's Gospel tells us that in addition to this corporal
work of mercy, we must also "raise the dead."
Only the One who has entered death's realm and engaged death
itself in battle can give life to those who have died. John recounts the
raising of Lazarus as a sign that transforms the tragedy into hope. Lazarus'
illness and death are the occasion for the manifestation of God's glory. As
Christians we do not expect to escape death; but we approach it with faith in
the resurrection.
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