Dear friends,

My Easter message this year lingers on the exquisite and detailed Gospel narrative that the Church has us reflect upon the Sunday before Holy Week. It is a story found in the Gospel of John, 11:1-41, the rising of Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus. There is much to discover in the story as it unfolds with the words of Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, the remarks by the crowd that gathers at the burial cave of Lazarus, and the words of Jesus.

Their close friendship brings Jesus and the two grieving sisters together. “If you had been here our brother would not have died,” the two women say to Jesus. “And yes, we believe that he will rise on the last day, but if only you had been here, if only you had been here, if only. . . ” Someone in the crowd that came to comfort Martha and Mary says, “He opened the eyes of the blind man, could he not have done something. . . “

The account continues with the words, “Jesus was deeply troubled,” and then states simply, ”Jesus wept.” And the crowd seeing this said to one another, “See how deeply he loved him.”

And it is here that I find us taking our place in the story. We all know grief over the death of loved ones and can imagine us standing with Jesus who weeps over his loss. It is here that we find ourselves weeping over other losses. We weep today over the near loss of our country’s democracy and the respectful dialogue democracy requires, the heartbreaking losses the people of Ukraine have suffered during the war against them, the loss of safety for our children at school with shooting now the leading cause of death in children, the loss of truth telling that is so easily replaced by lies and conspiracy theories.

Praying loud enough to be heard by all, Jesus says, “Thank you Father for hearing me.” and then, shouts, “Lazarus, Come out! Unbind him and let him go!” And here this story takes us even deeper into our story as it echoes our desire to be set free from what binds and separates us from one another. As we weep together, we wait and work together to love deeply enough so as to become unbound by the burial cloths of division and unrest.

May this Easter season renew our belief in the call to unbind each other and to live in the freedom called for by the empty tomb. May we be blessed with Easter Joy.

Br. Joseph Kilikevice, OP
Shem Center for Interfaith Spirituality

I place myself in the crowd that gathered that day. I recall how we agreed with someone who said, “See how deeply he loved him,” as we see Jesus weeping over the death of his friend, Lazarus. It has been four days since they rolled the stone over the entrance to the tomb and feelings grief remain fresh. He exchanges words with Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus. A close friendship brings Jesus and the two grieving sisters together this day. “If you had been here our brother would not have died,” the two women say to Jesus. “And yes, we believe that he will rise on the last day, but if only you had been here, if only you had been here.”

Someone in the crowd that came to comfort Martha and Mary says, “He opened the eyes of the blind man, could he not have done something. . . ? “

Together we wait with anticipation for what may happen next.

And two words are given us in translation that simply state, “Jesus wept.”

On the Sunday before Holy Week, the Church offers us the Gospel account of the raising of Lazarus to ponder. This prefiguring of the resurrection of Jesus found in John’s Gospel is where I remain to gather my thoughts for an Easter message, 2023.

The story is deeply moving as it tells of a close friendship between Mary, Martha and Lazarus of Bethany, and Jesus.

Ancient icons depicting the scene show an assembled crowd with the two sisters of Lazarus and Jesus standing at the tomb of Lazarus. Those in the crowd seeing Jesus weep are recorded as saying, ”Look how deeply he loved him.” How like our feelings his are when those we love die and we are left with unavoidable feelings of loss and grief.

The story continues with questions and dialogue that echo our feelings — “If only you had been here,” and the belief that “He will rise on the last day.” Jesus prays loud enough to be heard, saying, “Thank you Father for hearing me.” And then, calls out, “Lazarus, Come out!” Lazarus appears bound by strips of burial cloths. To the crowd says, “Untie him and let him go free!”

Our grief is not absent from the Easter story this one anticipates. Whether it is the death of our own loved ones or that of the victims of gun violence in own country or the heartbreaking deaths from among the people of Ukraine and other parts of the world, we shout with Jesus, “Come out from the dark tomb of violence and war. Untie everyone who is bound by the powerful and let all go free!