“And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves…” (Ez 37:13).
In today’s first reading, Ezekiel’s words of hope to a people who have been defeated and exiled are embodied by Jesus in a powerful but mysterious way in today’s Gospel. He assures his disciples that the illness of Lazarus is not to end in death, but then tells them that Lazarus has indeed died. We might call to mind our experiences of defeat, loss, weakness and failure, the hopes and desires that seem to have died or been buried under the rubble of our lives. In so many ways, we all share the sadness and resignation of Martha and Mary. But Jesus brings to life the words of Ezekiel, ordering the stone to be removed and calling in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” Lazarus leaves the tomb, but still needs to be untied and set free from the burial bands. Jesus brings new life out of death and calls on us to support one another in this new life, untying the bonds that still hold us captive.
—Fr. Christopher J. Viscardi, SJ, is a Jesuit of the Central and Southern Province teaching theology at Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL.