John 11:1-45
There was a man named Lazarus who lived in the village of Bethany with the two sisters, Mary and Martha, and he was ill. It was the same Mary, the sister of the sick man Lazarus, who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. The sisters sent this message to Jesus, “Lord, the man you love is ill.”
On receiving the message, Jesus said, “This sickness will end not in death but in God’s glory, and through it the Son of God will be glorified.”
Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, yet when he heard that Lazarus was ill he stayed where he was for two more days before saying to the disciples, “Let us go to Judaea.” The disciples said, “Rabbi, it is not long since the Jews wanted to stone you; are you going back again?” Jesus replied: “Are there not twelve hours in the day? A man can walk in the daytime without stumbling because he has the light of this world to see by; but if he walks at night he stumbles, because there is no light to guide him.” He said that and then added, “Our friend Lazarus is resting, I am going to wake him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he is able to rest he is sure to get better.” The phrase Jesus used referred to the death of Lazarus, but they thought that by “rest” he meant “sleep”, so Jesus put it plainly, “Lazarus is dead; and for your sake I am glad I was not there because now you will believe. But let us go to him.” Then Thomas – known as the Twin – said to the other disciples, “Let us go too, and die with him.” On arriving, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days already.
Bethany is only about two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to sympathize with them over their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus had come she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.”
“Your brother” said Jesus to her “will rise again.” Martha said, “I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said: “I am the resurrection. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she said “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.” When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in a low voice, “The Master is here and wants to see you.” Hearing this, Mary got up quickly and went to him. Jesus had not yet come into the village; he was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were in the house sympathizing with Mary saw her get up so quickly and go out, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Mary went to Jesus, and as soon as she saw him she threw herself at his feet, saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” At the sight of her tears, and those of the Jews who followed her, Jesus said in great distress, with a sigh that came straight from the heart, “Where have you put him?” They said, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept; and the Jews said, “See how much he loved him!” But there were some who remarked, “He opened the eyes of the blind man, could he not have prevented this man’s death?” Still sighing, Jesus reached the tomb; it was a cave with a stone to close the opening. Jesus said: “Take the stone away.” Martha said to him, “Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day.” Jesus replied, “Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and said: “Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer. I knew indeed that you always hear me, but I speak for the sake of all these who stand round me, so that they may believe it was you who sent me.” When he had said this, he cried in a loud voice, “Lazarus, here! Come out!” The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with bands of stuff and a cloth round his face. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, let him go free.” Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what he did believed in him.
Homily
I think it fair to say that we live in a very production oriented world, but production in the sense of what can be quantified. What or who does not produce is discarded, and left to die.
This culture is so pervasive that it affects all segments of society. Not only are individuals written off by society but people write themselves off as well.In the academic world there is a saying, “Publish or die.” It does not matter if one is a brilliant professor; one’s worth is decided on the number of articles produced. Even in our spiritual lives we tend to try and accumulate credits with God; I did this, I did that.
Today the Gospel reading shows us another way of being.
It is a story of love and the transformation that love can bring about in our lives and the lives of others.
A message is sent to Jesus “Lord, the man you love is ill.”
Jesus dawdles a bit but when he finally arrives we are told in verse 35 “Jesus wept” and the Jews, seeing his emotion, said “See how much he loved him!” It was this love that led Jesus to the tomb, and it was this love that causes Jesus to put his
faith in the power of God’s love for him, a love that would not let him down. He calls Lazarus out of death, out of the tomb, and invites those gathered there to unbind Lazarus and let him go free.
Lazarus symbolises for us the many who have been written off and discarded by others and even themselves, as the dead are discarded, because they do not produce or perhaps do not produce what the society considers important.
In the second, even if they do, prescription de levitra not everyone who is having sex should know about their dysfunction, causes and symptoms. Rest will give the muscle time to heal. generico levitra on line Their actions had as much criminal intent as those of an arsonist. viagra without buy prescription Sometimes mouthsofthesouth.com viagra usa mastercard I still struggle every single day. We lock them in tombs and leave them.
How many villages on our North coast that once existed, exist no more, and how many of them are neglected and dying. And how many like Matelot live again because of people like Sr Rosario Hackshaw who loved enough to challenge those whom she served to come out of the tomb in which they were and begin to live creative lives.
And how many of our young people from all over the country live creatively because of Servol. Love and the power of belief in people can transform.
At the same time that Jesus’ love for Lazarus impels him to go to bring Lazarus out of the tomb, there is another subplot being worked out. The disciples tell Jesus “Rabbi, it is not long since the Jews wanted to stone you; are you going back again?” but when Jesus insists on going back to the very place where the Jews wanted to stone him, the disciples say “Let us go too, and die with him.”
Because the disciples were willing to risk their lives with
Jesus, they witnessed the transformation that love can bring about. And isn’t that the witness of that young band of teachers who followed Sr Rosario to Matelot, and isn’t that the witness of those who are engaged in the Servol experience?
Isn’t it the witness of so many young Americans in the peace corps?
And those who knew me as a young, shy, insecure stammering priest can testify to the transforming power of the love of the Paraguayan people to whom I was sent, and who loved me into belief in myself.
Yes, there is Good News in the readings for this weekend, and the Gospel calls all of us to recognise the transforming power of love in our own lives, and in the lives of people whom we know.
Let us remember and thank God for those whose love was and is a transforming element in our lives. Let us thank God for those who never gave up on us, and let us thank God for the witness of Pope John Paul II and others like him who refused to be written off.
The gospel also calls us to recognise the many who are prisoners of lack of belief in themselves, and those individuals and communities that have been written off. Perhaps there is someone close to us, a sister or brother, who is waiting to be released from bondage through our love. At times the journey may be long and tiring, let us maintain our belief in the power of love, and our faith in the potential for life that is in each one.
Like the apostles, let us accompany those who are engaged in the struggle of helping others to believe in themselves. If we are faithful we may see the miracles that love can work.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God the story of Lazarus reminds us that love has the power to call persons out of the tomb to live productive lives. Help us, your disciples, to live that love which resuscitates so that those in our land who live entombed because of lack of belief in themselves, or lack of education or other similar obstacles can be called out of their tombs to be valuable members of society, contributing through their gifts and talents and their love to the building of this nation. We ask this through the intercession of Mary our mother and Jesus your son. Amen.
