The Raising of Lazarus is not only a great miracle, it is a symbol of that deeper awakening to the fullness of Life that comes with our Catholic Faith. This transformation is the work of the same Spirit who raised Jesus to the new life of Resurrection. That Spirit is already at work in us in so many wonderful ways. The transformation of each of us, which will be completed at our Resurrection, has already begun. The Spirit enables us to share in the Risen life of Jesus already, and moves us to live that new life (now) through acts of love, patient endurance, and generosity.
Based on John 11, 1-41, we can safely say that both Martha and Mary expressed great conviction in Jesus’ healing power: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Their conviction, however, was tied to their human experience of the fragility of sickness and the finality of death. Jesus’ action surmounts human experience and reveals something entirely new: “Everyone who lives and believes in [Him] will never die.” Belief in Jesus “unties” us from the limits of human experience and frees us for the eternity of Risen Life.
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Some wisdom worth pondering as Holy Week draws near: “Love is the eye! When we look at anything through the eyes of love, we see correctly, understand, and properly appropriate its mystery. The reverse is also true. When we look at anything through eyes that are jaded, cynical, jealous, or bitter, we will not see correctly, will not understand, and will not properly appropriate its mystery.” Hugo of St. Victor
