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John 11:1-45
Many of us have favorite gospel stories that reach deep into our hearts and have meaning that touches our lived experiences. The story of Lazarus is one of those stories for me. I have shared my thoughts on it previously. Each time brings more understanding.
The story of Lazarus being raised from the dead draws me back to the time when my brother was dying and my sister, Mary, was staying at my house. We were fraught with anxiety, grief, and, if we were honest, fear. We cried, we prayed, we worried that we were doing it all the wrong way. Between us we had nine children and knew they were watching and feeling our pain. We also had three other brothers who were trying to process what was happening, and of course, parents who were mired in their own grief, not to mention aunts and uncles. It was a time marked before and after.
Our brother was dying from the complications of AIDS at a time when AIDS was as much part of a culture war as it was a dreadful and terminal disease.
In today's gospel, hearing Martha say, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died,” makes me want to embrace her and engage her in conversation. I feel a strong connection to this woman and her sister, Mary. Their love for their brother and their faith resonate.
The story of Lazarus is a story of faith as much as it is of love among close friends. The sisters, Mary and Martha, had a special bond with Jesus; he was their dear friend. They also understood who Jesus was. John tells us that Martha said, “I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”
She did not say, “I believe.” She said, “I have come to believe. Her honesty in admitting she had gone through a process to reach her conclusion is comforting. Faith is fluid; it comes and goes, then comes back again, and this can happen all in a day, sometimes in an hour.
In this story Mary and Martha wanted so desperately to save their brother from death. They reached out to Jesus, and as the story goes, their brother, Lazarus, was brought back to them. My sister, Mary, and I wanted our brother brought back to the life we knew with him. It was not to be, yet I believe our faith was strengthened. Eyes were opened; minds were opened. While the death of our brother was painful, he showed us how to live, and he showed us how to die. Jesus was with him and with us the entire time. I didn't recognize that at the time, but in retrospect it's clear.
In our darkest hours, when we pray for a miracle as Martha and Mary did, there is comfort knowing God is with us. Maybe that is the miracle in this time so distant from when Jesus walked the earth.
In these final weeks of Lent, please consider joining us in Orange County to delve into a practical theology for our troubled times, or to attend the Stations of the Cross at the Federal Building in Westwood on Good Friday. See the details below.
Peace,
Anne
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