OUR DEAD ARE ALIVE
The final good-bye to a loved one inevitably sinks us into grief and powerlessness. It’s as if our whole life ends up destroyed. There are no words or arguments that can consol us. What can we hope for?
The story in John’s Gospel doesn’t only have the objective of telling about the resurrection of Lazarus, but above all awakening our faith, not so that we believe in the resurrection as a far-off act that will occur at the end of the world, but so that we «see» from right now that God is infusing life in those we’ve buried.
Jesus arrives «sobbing» at the tomb of his friend Lazarus. The Gospel writer tells us that «it is covered with a stone». That stone closes the path. We know nothing of our dead friends. A stone separates the world of the living and the world of the dead. The only thing left to us is to hope for the final day in order to see if anything happens.
This is the Jewish faith of Martha: «I know that my brother will rise in the resurrection of the last day». It’s not enough for Jesus. «Take away the stone». We’re going to see what happens with the one you have buried. Martha pleads with Jesus to be realistic. The dead person has begun to decompose and «stinks». Jesus answers her: «If you believe, you will see the glory of God». If faith is awakened in Martha, she can «see» that God is giving life to her brother.
«Take away the stone» and Jesus «raises his eyes to the heavens», inviting all to raise their gaze toward God, before penetrating with faith the mystery of death. He has stopped weeping. «He gives thanks» to the Father because «the Father always listens to him». What he wants is that those gathered around «believe» that he is the One Sent by the Father to bring new hope into the world.
Then «he cries out in a loud voice: Lazarus, come out». He wants him to come out to show everyone that he’s alive. The scene is powerful. Lazarus has «his feet and his hands bound with cloths» and «his face wrapped in a burial cloth». He carries the signs and bindings of death. Yet «the dead man comes out» on his own. He’s alive!
This is the faith of those who believe in Jesus: those whom we bury and abandon in death are alive. God hasn’t abandoned them. Remove the stone with faith. Our dead are alive!
José Antonio Pagola
Translator: Fr. Jay VonHandorf
