De resuscitatione Lazari
The Sickness and the Call
Lazarus falls ill, and his sisters send word to Jesus, prompting a reflection on the spiritual significance of the penitent, the active, and the contemplative life.
Lazarus's sickness is announced. Now while Jesus was with his disciples across the Jordan, in the place where John had first baptized, he touched Lazarus, the brother of Mary. Martha was ill in Bethany, which was about a day's journey away, or thereabouts. So his sisters, wanting their brother to be healed, sent a message to Jesus to free them from their sorrow and him from his illness, saying, 'Lord, the one you love is ill.' They asked for nothing more; it's enough for someone who loves to make a friend's need known, without adding any specific request. For anyone who abandons a neighbor in need and doesn't help them isn't their friend, nor do they love them. As Augustine says: 'They didn't say, "Come and heal," nor did they dare to say, "Speak the word and it will be done"; they only said, "Lord, the one you love is ill."' They said, 'It's enough that you know; for you don't love and then abandon.' And so Chrysostom says: By this they wanted to draw Christ to have mercy. They didn't go to Christ themselves, but sent word, because they were struggling intensely over Christ, and because they were held back by grief; and also, according to Theophilus, because they were women, whom it isn't fitting to leave the house easily. Yet they had great hope in Christ; for Christ loved Martha, who was active, and Mary, who was contemplative—both of whom were sad—and Lazarus, who in the figure of the penitent was languishing, and who had often shown Him the duty of kindness. The Evangelist adds this. It is to show why it wasn't necessary for Martha and Mary to go to Christ in person, because Christ was familiar with Lazarus and his sisters, and often came there to stay. Hence Augustine says: The languishing one, these sad ones—all are loved. They had hope, therefore, because they were loved by Him who was the consoler of those in pain and the healer of those who languish. Spiritually, Lazarus, which is interpreted as 'helped by God,' signifies the life of penance; for in the day of salvation—that is, in the day of penance, when the true sun has shone—God helps and assists. Martha, however, is interpreted as 'provocative,' which signifies the active life, in which a person is always stirred toward better things, both by the delight of virtue and by the display of a good example. Mary, on the other hand, is interpreted as 'illuminatrix' and signifies the contemplative life, by which a person is enlightened, according to that passage in the Apocalypse: 'A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet.' She casts the light of this night-time life—which signifies the splendor of this world—under her feet. These are the three whom the Lord gladly visits: the penitent, the active, and the contemplative; the penitent in the gravity of compunction, the active in the progress of virtue, and the contemplative in the purity of truth. Note here that those who are loved more by Christ are sometimes afflicted more and endure heavier trials than others. For just as a doctor, fearing a dangerous disease, might induce a tertian fever to avoid an acute one, so Christ brings about bodily infirmities to ward off a dangerous disease of the soul, because we're prone to sin and to doing evil. Hence Hugo says: 'The Lord, foreseeing that some might sin greatly, scourges them so they don't sin; for it's more useful for them to be broken by infirmities for their salvation than to remain unscathed for their damnation.' But let those who are infirm or troubled pay attention so that they may correct themselves, because someone who throws an arrow or a stone at a target hits closer the more frequently he throws, until in the end he sometimes hits the mark. So, too, behind us—who in this world are like a target for arrows—death or God throws frequently through infirmities and tribulations; but the more frequently He throws at us, the more directly and dangerously it hits, unless we are corrected.
The Delay and the Journey
Jesus delays his arrival to ensure the miracle of resurrection is undeniable, teaching his disciples about the nature of death as sleep and the glory of God.
When Jesus heard from the messengers of Lazarus's sisters that he was sick, he told them, "This sickness isn't unto death"—meaning it isn't meant to keep him in death—"but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it, by the display of his power, and through the raising of Lazarus, the truth of his divinity may be declared in Christ." And this was the end of the sickness. He stayed two more days beyond the Jordan in the same place where he was, waiting for Lazarus’s death and resurrection, for Lazarus had died on the very day the Lord received the message. He delayed healing him so that he could raise him. For the sake of greater certainty and evidence of the miracle, he waited until the four days were complete, so that he might be raised more wonderfully and gloriously. Hence Chrysostom says: "He stayed two days so that he would expire and be buried, ensuring no one could say he raised him before he was truly dead; it was a deep sleep, not death." Then after this, among other things, he said to his disciples: "Lazarus our friend is sleeping, but I am going so that I may wake him from sleep." He calls his death a sleep and a slumber, because he was soon to rise. Hence, according to Augustine, to the Lord who could raise him, he was sleeping; to others, he was dead, because it is just as easy—or rather, even easier—for Christ to raise a dead man from the tomb than for another to wake a sleeping man from his bed. You should know that 'sleep' is used in many ways: sometimes for the sleep of nature, as in Job, 'You will sleep securely'; sometimes for the sleep of death, as the Apostle says, 'We don't want you to be uninformed about those who are asleep'; sometimes for negligence, as in the Psalm, 'Behold, he will not slumber nor sleep'; sometimes for the sleep of sin, as the Apostle says, 'Wake up, you who sleep'; sometimes for the quiet of contemplation, as in the Song of Songs, 'I sleep, and my heart is awake'; and finally, sometimes for the quiet of future glory, as in the Psalm, 'In peace I will both lie down and sleep.' Death is called sleep because of the hope of resurrection; for this reason, death has been called a 'falling asleep' ever since Christ died and rose again. His disciples, however, understanding it as the sleep of rest and fearing to return to Judea where they wanted to stone him, said, 'Lord, if he is sleeping, he will be saved.' For the sleep of an infirm person is a sign of recovery. Hence Chrysostom says: 'The disciples, however, wanted to prevent the Lord's arrival in Judea.' Where the Pharisees were seeking to kill him; therefore they said, 'Lord, if he is sleeping, he will be saved.' For the sleep of the sick is usually a sign of recovery. It was as if they were saying: 'If he is sleeping, it isn't useful for you to go and wake him.' For it seemed foolish to travel such a distance just to wake Lazarus from sleep. —so says Chrysostom. Then Jesus said to them plainly: "Lazarus is dead, and I rejoice—not for his death in itself, but for your sake, that is, for your edification and benefit, because I was not there, so that you might believe more fully and firmly than before; and from the miracle that is soon to happen, you will receive proof of my divinity." So that in his resurrection you might be strengthened more in faith, whose death I announce and reveal to you even while I am absent. Observe the wonderful goodness, love, and care of the Lord for his disciples, who still needed greater strength and virtue. Hence Augustine says, "I rejoice, he says, for your sake; because I wasn't there, it contributes to the greatness of your faith. If I had been present, I would have healed him while he was sick, which would have been a small sign as proof of my power." But because death occurred while I was absent, you'll be strengthened more in your faith when you see that I am able to raise even the dead and decaying. According to Chrysostom, he says this so they might begin to wonder, because the Lord could speak of the dead man whom he had neither seen nor heard. Knowing nothing was hidden from him, they might believe in him more. The Lord and his disciples went on, therefore, and came near to Bethany. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away, eight of which make a mile. He didn't enter immediately, showing that he didn't force himself to perform miracles, and so that the devotion of the holy women who came to meet him—Martha and Magdalene—might be tested.
The Meeting of the Sisters
Martha and Mary meet Jesus separately, demonstrating their devotion and the necessity of anticipating God's judgment through personal penance.
While still outside the village, Martha heard that Jesus had arrived. Since she managed the household, news of Christ's arrival was brought to her first by someone who had gone ahead of him. Leaving her sister and the Jews who had come from Jerusalem and nearby places to console them—as they were noble ladies—she went alone to meet Christ with reverence and devotion. Hence Theophilus says: "First, she doesn't tell her sister, wanting to keep this hidden from those standing by, to whom she didn't want Christ's arrival to be known." Chrysostom adds: "She doesn't take her sister with her when she goes to meet Christ; she wants to speak to Christ alone and tell him what has happened." When she had brought her to a good hope, she then went and called Mary: so says Chrysostom. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here"—meaning locally present—"my brother would not have died," since death should have no place where Life is. After their conversation about the resurrection, she went and called her sister Mary in silence, saying, "The Master is here and is calling for you." Augustine notes: "It should be noted that he called a suppressed voice 'silence'." The reason she calls her sister secretly is that if the Jews had known Christ was coming, they would have left and would not have witnessed the miracle, according to Augustine. As soon as Mary heard it, she rose from her quiet contemplation, moved by the longing of her heart, and came with great devotion to him outside the village, to the place where Martha had met him. The Jews from Jerusalem and others who were in the house comforting her followed her when they saw her get up quickly and leave, believing she was going to the tomb to weep, not knowing that Jesus was there. Yet it happened by divine providence that they followed her, because, as Augustine notes, this ensured that many were present when Lazarus was raised, so that such a great miracle—a man dead for four days rising again—would have many witnesses. When Mary arrived where Jesus was, she saw him and fell at his feet out of devotion—the same feet where she knew she had previously obtained mercy and the forgiveness of her sins—and she said to him, just as Martha had: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." From the fact that Mary hurried to him this way, it is clear, according to Augustine, that Martha would not have arrived before her if she had known Jesus was coming. Through this—that Martha and Mary met the Lord without waiting for his arrival—we understand that when we want to be reconciled to God, we must meet him through penance before he comes to us through judgment, because we are sinners who have earned the blow and the punishment. Divine judgment ceases, however, as Ambrose says, if human confession goes before it; and when we want to enjoy Christ, we should anticipate his coming, not waiting for him to condescend to us, but rather hurrying to him ourselves.
The Tears of the Savior
Jesus groans and weeps, revealing his humanity and compassion, while teaching the faithful the necessity of mourning for sin.
When Jesus saw her weeping—that is, Mary—and the Jews who had come with her also weeping over the death of their friend, he groaned in his spirit and was troubled within himself, showing his human affection in the grief of his friends. He groaned, letting out a sound of mourning; he was troubled within, considering the misery of the human condition. He troubled himself, though no one else could have troubled him. We are troubled out of necessity, but he was troubled by his own will. In this way, he took on all such weaknesses because he chose to. As Augustine says: "Christ was troubled because he willed it; he hungered because he willed it; it was in his power to be affected in this way or that, or not to be affected at all." And note that a groan arises from indignation toward an object. This groaning of Christ, therefore, came from his indignation against the devil, through whose suggestion death entered the world, which he was soon to defeat. That agitation, however, came from his compassion for Lazarus and his sisters; because he was truly human, he wept with those who were weeping out of a natural affection, to teach us that we ought to sympathize with the miseries of others. Yet these passions and others like them weren't sinful in Christ, but rather virtuous, because they didn't precede the judgment of reason, but instead followed and were stirred up by it. This indignation and agitation teach us what we, too, ought to do in such a situation when we pray to God for ourselves or for others who are living shamefully in their sins. Indignation is an impulse of anger breaking out against vices; agitation, however, is a certain sad stirring of the heart accompanied by groaning. And because faith in Christ is Christ himself, Christ is indignant in the heart and is agitated in the person when a sinner considers what good things he has received and what evil he has returned, and he rebukes and reproves himself for his sins. And Jesus said to them, "Where have you laid him?" He asks, yet he isn't ignorant; in this he mystically suggests that he doesn't know the kind of sinner that is signified by Lazarus. Hence the Gloss says: "He who, while absent, knew the dead man, knew where he was buried." But by speaking this way, he signals that he is, in a sense, unaware of the lost man. Hence, in Scripture: 'Where are you?' and 'Adam, where are you?' . . . They say to him, 'Lord, come and see.' The Lord came out of compassion and saw with the eyes of mercy, because, as Augustine says, the Lord sees when he has mercy. Showing his affection with tears, Jesus wept in his humanity out of pity; he was mystically teaching that man needs to weep because of sin, and signifying that those who are lulled to sleep by the death of sin must be mourned so that they may be able to live again. Hence Alcuin says: 'Because he was the fountain of pity, he wept in his humanity for the one whom he could raise up by the power of his divinity.' And so Augustine says: "Why, then, did Christ weep, if not to teach men how to weep?" Let us also weep, for ourselves and for all those whom we see lying in the stench of their vices, so that perhaps the Lord may deign to raise both us and them up through our tears. As Augustine also says: "It is written that Christ wept over Lazarus, spent nights in prayer, and was exhausted from his travels; but it is never written that he laughed or lived in prosperity." And so Chrysostom says: "You will often find him weeping, but never laughing, nor even smiling slightly or rejoicing." And note that the Lord did not weep for Lazarus because he was dead, but to raise him back to the miseries and hardships of this life. Therefore, we shouldn't be saddened by our own death, nor by the death of others. For how can we be honored with rewards by him, to whom we come unwillingly? For, according to the Apostle, the Lord will award the crown of righteousness to those who love his appearing. And why should we so strongly desire this life, in which the longer anyone lives, the heavier the burden of sin they'll be carrying? Or rather, the Lord wept for the death that humanity brought upon itself through sin, and for the miseries and hardships imposed on the human race because of that guilt. If sin hadn't come first, death certainly wouldn't have followed; therefore, the death of the body followed, which the death of the soul had already preceded.
The Miracle of Resurrection
Jesus commands the stone to be removed and calls Lazarus from the tomb, demonstrating his divine power over death.
Jesus, therefore, groaning again within himself and even indignant at the malice of the Jews who were murmuring unjustly about his deeds, came to the tomb, moved by mercy and compelled by compassion; it was a cave, and a stone was placed over it. It is called a monument, as if to warn the mind—that is, the mind of the one who looks upon it—to pray for the soul of the one buried, to think ahead about one's own death, and to prepare for it. He groaned again so that those who must rise from their sins might understand that they should persist in continuous mourning, according to the words of the Psalmist: 'I went about mourning all the day long.' Therefore, the sinner should often weep for himself; Christ should often groan and be troubled within the person if he wishes to come back to life. Jesus ordered the stone that had been placed over it to be removed so that everyone might see the dead man, foul and corrupt; but Martha objected, saying to him, 'Lord, he already smells; he has been dead four days.' With the stone removed, she feared that the stench would be stirred up rather than her brother being raised to life. It was as if she were saying: 'Although the dead have sometimes been raised recently and after a little while, it has never been heard of that someone four days dead and already decomposed is raised to life.' This seems to have proceeded from Martha's wonder and her ignorance, because it is within the same power to raise someone recently dead as it is to raise someone four days dead. Look at the wonderful love these sisters had for the Lord Jesus; they didn't even want the stench to touch his nostrils for a moment. Then, after the stone was removed, Jesus lifted his eyes to heaven and thanked the Father for hearing him, to build up their faith, so that those standing by—hearing this and seeing the power of God in him—might believe that he is the Son of God. As Hilary says, "He had no need of prayer; he prayed for our sake, so that the Son would not be ignored." Even though his words of petition didn't benefit him, he spoke them for the benefit of our faith. He was not lacking in help, therefore; rather, we are the ones lacking in understanding. He also prayed to teach us that we must turn to the help of prayer in our own needs. It's worth noting that praying to the Father and being heard is fitting for Christ because of his humanity, in which he is less than the Father, but not because of his divinity, in which he is equal to him. He gave thanks for being heard before he was about to pray, because he already knew he was heard. Origen says: "He was about to pray for the resurrection of Lazarus, but the one who is the only good Father anticipated his prayer and heard what was to be said." Therefore, to complete his prayer, he added a prayer of thanksgiving; that’s why he said, 'Father, I thank you because you have heard me.' So says Origen. By lifting his eyes to heaven, Jesus shows us the form of prayer, which is the lifting of the mind to God. This teaches us that in prayer we should lift the eyes of our mind to God, raising them and turning them away from present things in our memory, thought, and intention. We also lift our eyes to God when, not trusting in our own merits, we hope in the sole mercy of God. By giving thanks at the beginning of his prayer, he gives us an example that when we wish to pray, we should thank God for the benefits we have already received before we ask for future things. For God is more easily moved to grant future benefits when we give thanks for those in the past. After saying this, he called out in a loud voice—more by the power of his intent than by the volume of his cry: "Lazarus, come out!"—meaning the body from the tomb and the soul from the underworld; in this way, he raised Lazarus by the power of his voice. According to Origen, we should consider that the delay in removing the stone was caused by the sister of the deceased, and so the brother's resurrection was put off as long as she hesitated over Christ's words. But the moment she obeyed Christ's command, her brother was raised. We learn from this not to put anything between Christ's commands and our carrying them out if we want the effect of salvation to follow immediately, as the Psalmist says: "At the hearing of the ear, he obeyed me." Note that Christ's voice is called "great" because of the magnitude of its power; his power was so great that it raised Lazarus from death just as a sleeper is raised from sleep or slumber. This great voice also represents that great voice which will sound at the general resurrection, through which everyone will be raised from their graves. The power of Christ's voice was so great that it conferred life without a moment's delay, just as it will be in the general resurrection, when in the twinkling of an eye, the dead, hearing the sound of the trumpet, will rise. He called out, "Lazarus, come out!"—whom, according to Augustine, he called by his own name because the power of his voice was so great that all the dead would have been forced to come out, had he not limited his power to one person by specifically naming him. Immediately, not only was Lazarus, who had been dead, raised, but he stood up and came out, even though his feet and hands were bound with strips—the cloths with which the ancients wrapped the dead—and his face was bound with a napkin, so that he wouldn't cause horror. In this, divine power and the certainty of the miracle are declared; he ordered him to rise while bound and covered so that the miracle would be more fully confirmed. For this reason, the Lord commanded the disciples to untie the man who appeared bound outside; he said to them, "Untie him and let him go," so that by the works of life he might be shown to be truly raised, and not merely in appearance.
Mystical Stages of Justification
The author provides a detailed mystical interpretation of the resurrection as a ten-step process for the sinner's justification and return to grace.
On the Raising of Lazarus. We should note that the death of the soul is a harmful abandonment by God, occurring through mortal sin, by which God is repelled from the soul. Therefore, according to Augustine, the death of the soul occurs when God abandons it, just as the death of the body occurs when the soul abandons it. The death of the soul is completed in four stages, which is why someone deserves to be called a man dead for four days: the first is a tickle of pleasure in the heart; the second is consent; the third is the act itself; the fourth is habit. But God raises the soul from this death to life through grace, by which the soul is reconciled to God. For just as the body lives from its union with the soul, so the soul is said to live from its union with God through sanctifying grace. And this vivification is signified in the raising of Lazarus from the tomb. In the raising of Lazarus, many events occurred that mystically contribute to the raising of a sinner. The sinner is raised daily in the same order that Lazarus was; the process of the soul's resurrection from the death of sin is the same every day as it was when Lazarus was raised from the stench of the tomb. The first requirement for raising a sinner is a divine awareness, where God looks upon the sinner at a specific time; this is signified by Lazarus's sisters sending a message to Jesus to notify Him of the illness. The second is the help God offers, so that a person's free will may be moved toward Him, and the soul, having turned away through sin, may turn back. It isn't a matter of human will or effort, but of God who shows mercy in granting these things; therefore, divine help is required so that we may better prepare ourselves for grace. This offering of divine help is signified by Jesus deigning to go to Lazarus. The third is the movement of our free will, because, as Augustine says, although God created you without your help, He will not justify you without it. Therefore, a movement of free will is required on our part, which is twofold: one, that it moves against sin, so that sin becomes displeasing; the other, by which it moves toward God through faith and hope. by which they desire to be reconciled to God. These two movements are noted by the meeting of the two sisters, Martha and Mary; the first movement is understood through Martha, who meets Him first, and the second through Mary, who comes when called by Martha. In this way, the second is provoked by the first. The fourth is the knowledge of sin, into which God leads a person by seeking them out, so that the person may strive to recognize themselves—a person whom God, by seeking, signifies that He almost does not know. This is signified by His question, 'Where have you laid him?' The fifth stage is the grace of compunction, which follows the movement of the free will and the recognition of sin. This is signified by Christ’s weeping—tears that flowed from the fountain of divine mercy, and with which the sinner is washed daily when this grace is poured into them. For Christ did not weep for the physical death of Lazarus, but for the spiritual death of the sinner, who was represented in Lazarus. Therefore, the sinner must be careful not to empty themselves of grace by despising Christ’s tears; rather, they should weep for their own sins along with the weeping Christ, and in this way receive the effect of Christ’s tears. The sixth stage is the resolve to avoid sin in the future, which is noted in the fact that He commanded the stone to be removed. The stone is removed from the tomb when the hardness of the resolve to sin and the weight of bad habits are removed from the heart. And when the stone is set aside, the foulness of the corpse is uncovered—which is why Martha said, 'Lord, he already smells.' Thus, when the hardness of the heart is removed, the vileness of sin is seen, from which follows the abomination of sin and the conception of a resolve to sin no more. The seventh stage is the infusion of grace, by which the ungodly is justified; this is noted when He cried out with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out.' The loud cry signifies the magnitude of divine power that is required in the justification of the ungodly, because, according to Augustine, the justification of the ungodly is greater than the creation of heaven and earth. He called out with a loud voice, because it's difficult for someone weighed down by the heavy burden of bad habits to rise; yet, after that great voice, he does rise—that is, he's brought to life and justified through the great grace of God, while he repents. This also implies that Christ calls the sinner to come out from the way of life of sin and from hiding it, through the confession that must be made to a priest. The eighth step, then, is the confession of sins, which God administers by calling out with a voice—that is, by calling through great grace; this is noted in the fact that Lazarus came out of the tomb, for to come out is to emerge from what was hidden through confession. But the sinner isn't yet completely set free before the priest's absolution comes; this is signified by the fact that he came out with his hands and feet bound in burial cloths. The ninth step, then, is sacramental absolution, which is signified by the fact that Christ said to the disciples, "Untie him." He could indeed have untied him immediately with a simple word, just as He made him come out of the tomb; but He wanted His disciples to be co-workers in this, because He wants to share this ministry with priests. Jesus raises him, because He gives life interiorly by Himself; the disciples untie him, because those who have been brought to life are absolved through the ministry of priests: for Christ, while He gives life interiorly by Himself, grants the power of absolution to His ministers. The dead man, therefore, coming forth, is still bound and, while confessing, is still guilty; but so that his sins may be absolved, it's commanded to the ministers that they untie him. Just as the Lord raised Lazarus before the disciples unbound him, He forgives sin and brings the sinner to life in contrition, even before the priest grants absolution—though the sinner is still bound to show himself to the priest afterward. The tenth is: The final step is satisfaction, which is signified by what Jesus added: "Let him go." He doesn't say, "Make him return to the tomb." In this way, the priest must primarily instruct the person, as part of their satisfaction, to move far away from the tomb and the depths of their sins and bad habits, and to never relapse or sin again. For He said: "Let him go, do not let him stand still." Or rather, do not let him lie there without spiritual exercise; because to stand still on the path of God is to go backward, but he ought to walk according to that verse of the Psalm: "They will go from strength to strength." Mystically, Lazarus languishing can also signify one suffering from grave temptation; and his sisters, who pray devoutly to Christ for his relief, signify those who are not always heard immediately. Sometimes, such a sufferer is permitted to die through an act of mortal sin by Him who is of such goodness and power that He knows how to, and can, bring good out of evil. The Lord's mercy is shown when He goes to raise him: He mercifully reaches out and draws to Himself those who are living in sin and are as good as dead, unable to approach God on their own. He brings the sinner back to the life of grace—not just the one dead through guilt, but even the one stinking from infamy and buried under the stone of obstinacy. In this way, He removes not only the obstinacy and the death of guilt, but also the stench of infamy, restoring the sweet fragrance of a good reputation. There's no reason for despair, since Lazarus, who was already stinking and had been dead for four days, rose from the dead and from the tomb. The place of the sick man was Bethany, which is interpreted as 'house of obedience,' by which it is understood that if the sick person is obedient to God, he can be easily cured by Him. According to Anselm, the Lord raised Lazarus in Bethany—the 'house of obedience'—to show that all who die to this world in their zeal for good will and rest in the bosom of obedience will be raised by God into eternal life. This Bethany belonged to Martha and Mary, through whom the twofold life—namely, the active and the contemplative—is signified; so that it may be understood by this that through obedience, a person is made perfect in the active and contemplative life. Moreover, it is said of these... It is said that Lazarus never laughed again, nor did he ever show any playful gestures, because he had been brought back from the miseries of this life, which he had escaped by dying.
The Witness and the Prayer
The miracle leads to belief among many, while others report it to the Pharisees, concluding with a prayer for the reader's own spiritual resurrection.
Having become more of a lover of that life than he was before, he felt regret for this life. As Augustine says: 'Oh, if we could stir up people, and be stirred up with them, so that we might be as much lovers of the life that lasts as people are lovers of the life that passes away!' It is believed that this miracle took place on the day it is usually read in the Church—the Friday before the Sunday of the Lord's Passion. The church built there in honor of Saint Mary Magdalene, and the great monastery surrounded by a forest of olive trees—where the abbey of Saint Lazarus once stood with its abbess and nuns of the Order of Saint Benedict—point to the tomb of Lazarus. Many, therefore, of the Jews who had seen the wonders that Jesus had done believed in him. It’s no wonder, because that sign was a clear demonstration of divine power, and such a miracle had not been heard of since the beginning of time: a man dead for four days in a tomb being raised to life. Hence, according to Augustine, this exceeds every miracle that Jesus performed regarding Lazarus, whom he commanded to return to the living from the very dweller of the underworld, having destroyed the law of the pit. But some of those Jews went that same day to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done; and there was much talk about him among many people. Some reported it moved by a good zeal, others by a bad one, because just as the good are converted and grow through the signs they see, so the wicked are frequently hardened and fall away. The good reported it to them to soften their hearts toward Jesus and provoke them to believe; the wicked, however, reported it to stir them up against Jesus and, by betraying him, to make them act with cruelty. By the 'good' are signified those who love the good in others just as they do in themselves, and who interpret all things for the best; by the 'wicked,' however, are signified those who, seeing the works of God's servants, pursue them with hatred and try to ruin their reputation. PRAYER: Most kind Jesus, who raised Lazarus from the tomb when he had already been dead four days and was already stinking, and who commanded that he be unbound and allowed to walk free—I beg you, let the depths of your mercy be moved over me, a wretch dead through the delight, consent, and commission of sin, oppressed and buried by the weight of evil habit, and already four days dead and stinking. Raise me up from the tomb of my vices, so that through confession I may come forth. Unbind the one raised from the chains of sin and death; grant that, freed from all servitude, he may walk into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Amen.
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1 MoRBus LazariChristonuntiatur. • Gum autem esset Jesus cum discipuHs Irans Jordauem, in ioco ubi Joannes primum baptizaverat, coniiG SECUNUifi PAHtlS GAPUT XVil tigit Lazaiuin fratrem Maria^. et Marthee infirmari in Bethania, quae inde perdietatn, vel circa, distabat. Sorores ergo ejus curationem fratris sui desiderantes, miserunt nuntium ad eum Jesum scilicet,ut ipsas a dolore, et illum a languore liberaret, dicentes : Domine, ecce quem amas infirmatur. Nihil amplius mandant ei ; sufficit enim amanti insinuare necessitatem amici, absque ahcujus petitionis additamento speciaU. Qui enim proximum in necessitate deserit, nec ei succurrit, amicus ejus non est, nec eum diUgit. Unde Augustinus : « Non dixerunt : Veui et sana; nec ausae suntdicere : Ibijube, et hic fiet; sed tantummodo ; Bomine, ecce qucm amas inflrmatur. Qmisi dicerent : Sufficit ut noveris ; non enim amas, et deseris.
» Uude et Chrysostomus : ii Per hoc enim ad miserendum voluut attrahere Christum. » Ideo autem non iverunt ad Christum, sed mittuQt, quia conlidebant de Christo vehementer, et quia a luctu detinebantur ;et etiam,secundum Theophilum, quia muUeres erant, quas non decet de facili domumexire. Magnam autemspemChristo habebant ; diligebatenim Christus Martham actuosam et Mariam contemi)laUvam, qu« tristes erant, et Lazarum qui in figura poenitentium languebat,quique ei officium humanitatis saepe exhibuerat. Hoc autem addit Evangelista. ad ostendendum quare non oportuit quod Martha et Maria irent personaliter ad Ghrislum; quia Christus erat familiaris Lazaro, et ejus sororibus, et ibi frequenter veniebat ad hospitandum. Unde Augustinus : « lUe languens, istae tristes, omnes dilecii. Habebant ergo spem, quoniam diligebantur ab eo, qui erat dolentium consolator, languentium sanator. » Spiritualiter Lazarus, qui interpretatur a Deo adjutus, poenitentiae significat vitam; in dicenim salutis,hoc est iu die pcenitenUae, quando verus sol illuxit, auxiliaiur Deus et adjuvat.
Martha autem pi^ovocans interpretatur, quae signat vitam activam, in qua tam virlutis delectaUone, quam cxcnipli bom ostentaUone, scmper homo ad meUora provocatur. Maria vero interpretatur illuminatrix, et signat vitam contemplativam, qua homo illuminatur, secundum illud Apocalypsis ; Mulier amicta sole^ et luna sub pedibus ejus; luminare noctis hujus vitae, quod splendorem hujus mundi signat, sub pedibus projirit. Haec tria sunt quae Dominus Ubenter visitat, scilicet : poenitentes, activos et contemplativos ; poenitentes, in graUa compunctionis ; activos,inprofectu virtuUs ; et contemplativos, in puritate veritatis. Hic nota, quod illi qui Christo plus sunt dilecU, quandoque plus infirmantur etgraviora mala susUnent, quam alii. Sicut enim medicus timens demorbo periculoso, ut de acuta, inducit tertianam ut acuta evitetur; sic Christus inducit infirmitates corporales, ut morbus animae periculosus declinetur, quia sumus proni ad peccandum et ad malum faciendum. Unde Hugo : « Praesciens Dominusquosdam multaposse peccare, flaerellat eos ne peccent ; quoniam utilius est eis fraugi languoribus ad salutem, quam remanere incolumes ad damnationem : » haec Hugo. Sed attendant hi qui inUrmantur, vel tribulantur ut se corrigant, quia ille qui jacit sagiLtam vel lapidem post siguum, quanto jacit frequentius, tanto propinquius,ita quod in fine quandoque signum tangit ; sic post nos, qui in mundo sicut sagittae signum sumus, mors vel Deus jacit frequenter per infirmitates et tribulationes, sed quanto frequenUus jacit post nos, tanto directius et periculosius, nisi corrigamur.
Audiens autem Jesus per nuntios sororum Lazari eum infirmari, dlxit eis : Infirmitas hxc non est ad mortem, id est ad detinendum eum in morte; sed pro gloria Dei^ scilicet ut gloriflcetur Filius Dei per eam, in ostcnsione virtutis suae, et per resuscitationem Lazari declaretur in Christo veritas deitatis : et hic erat finis inlirmitatis. Et m,ansit adhuc duobus diebus trans Jordanem in eodem loco ubi erat, exspectando mortem LazaDE RESUSCITATIONE LAZAMI ri, qui ia eodem die mortuus fuorat, quo Domiuus nuutium recepit. Distulit sanare, ut posset resuscitare. Ad majorem euim miraculicertitudinem et evideutiam exspectavit, ut illius quatriduum compleretur, ac mirabilius et gloriosius suscitaretur. Uude Chrysostomus : « Mansit duobus diebus, ut scilicet exspiraret et sepeliretur, ul nullus posset dicere quoniam nondum defunctum eum suscitavit, sed stupor fuit et non mors. » Beinde post hxc, inter alia dixit discipulis suis : Lazarus amicus noster dormit, sed vado ut a somno excitem eum. Mortem ejus vocat dormitionem et somnum, quia cito erat surrecturus. Unde, sectmdum Augustinum, Domino, qui poterat suscitare dormiebat; aliis mortuus erat, quia tam facile, imo facilius est Christo suscitare mortuum de sepulchro quam alteri dormientem de lecto.
Ubi sciendum, quod somnus accipitur multis modis ; quandoque pro somno naturae, unde in Job : Securus dormies ; quandoque pro somno mortis, unde Apostolus : Nolumus vos ignorare de dormientibus ; quandoque pro negligentia, unde in Psalmo : Ecce non dormitabit neque dormiet, eic; quandoque pro somno culpae, unde Apostolus : Exsurge qui dormis ; quandoque pro quiete contemplationis, unde in Canticis : Ego dormio, et cor meum vi(/i7at;quandoque tandempro quiete futurae gluriae, unde in Fsalmo : Inpace inidipsum, dormiam etrequiescam. Mors vero dicitur somnus, propter spem resurrectionis ; et ideo mors consuevit appellari dormitio, ab eo tempore quo Christus mortuus est et resurrexit. Discipuli autem ejus intelligentes de dormitione somni, et timentes reverti in Judaeam, ubi volebant eum lapidare, dixerunt : Dominey si dormit, salvus erit. Dormitio enim infirmi signum est salutis. Unde Chrysostomus: a Discipuli autem impedire voluerunt Domini adventum in Judaeam. ubi Pharisaei quaerebanteum interficere; ideo dixerunt :Domine,si dormit, salvus erit. Solet enini esse somnus aegrotantium salutis indicium. Quasi dicerent : Si dormit, non igitur utile est quod tu vadas ad excitandum eum.
Stultum enim erat ire per tot stadia, ut Lazarum a somno excitaret. » haec Chrysostomus.
Tunc evgo Jesus dixit eis manlfeste : Lazarus mortuus est, et gaudeo, scilicet non de morte ejus absolute, sed propter vos, id est proptcr aedificationcm atque utilitatem vestram, quoniam non eram ibi, ut credatis scilicet amplius et fortius quam prius ; et ex miraculo mox fuluro sumeutes experimentum {livinitatism(! ae,in illius resurrectione in fide magis roboremini, cujus mortem etiam ego absens vobis annuntio et revelo. Vide mirabilem bonitatem, ac dilectionem et solertiam Domini circa discipulos, qui indigebant adhuc majori robore et virtute. Unde Augustinus : « Gaudeo, inquit, propter vos ; nam cum illic non exstiterim, confert ad majoritatem fidei vestrae, quoniam si adstitissem, aegrotantem curassem, quod esset modicum signum ad meae virtutis indicium. Quia vero, me absente, supervenit mors,potius infide mea corroborabimini, cum viJebitis me posse et dcfunctum putrescentem resuscitare. » Et, secundum Chrysostomumf dicit hoc, ut jam inciperentadmirari, quia Dominus poterat dicere mortuum, quod nec viderat, nec audierat,ut cognoscentes eum nihil latere, magis in eum crederent. Perrexerunt ergo Dominus et discipuli ejus, et venerunt prope Bethaniam. Erat autem Bethania juxta Jerosolimam, quasi stadiis quindecim, de quibus octo faciunt unum milliare ; nec statim intravit, ostendens se ad miracula facienda non ingerere, et ut probaretur devotio feminarum sanclarum sibi occurrentium, scilicet Marthae et xMagdalenae.
Ubi, dum adhuc esset extra castellum, Martha audivit quia Jesus veuit; ipsa enim curam domus habebat, et ideo primo nuntiatur ei adventus Christi per aliquem qui eum praevenerat; dimittensque sororem suam et Judaeos, qui de Jerusalem et aliis vicinis locis ad consolandum eas venerant, quia nobiles dominse erant, sola ivit, et Ghristo reverenter et devote occurrit. Unde ait Theophilus : « Primo itaque non pandit sorori, volens astantes hoc latere, quibus notum fore adventum Christi nolebat. » Unde et Chrysostomus : « Non autem assumit sororem, dum Christo obviam vadit ; vult enim singulariter Christo loqui, et quod factum est ei annuntiare. Cum vero eam in bonam spem duxit,tunc abiit et vocavitMariam : « haec Chrysostomus. Dixit ergo Martha ad Jesiim : Domine, sifuisses hic, localiter prsesens, frater meiis non fuisset mortuus, cum mors locum habere non debeat, ubi est vita. Et post dialogum de resurrectione cum Domino habitum : Abiit , et vocavit Mariam sororem suam silentio, dicens : Magister adest, et vocat te. Ubi Augustinus : a Avertendum quod suppressam vocem silentium vocavit. Ideo autem occulte sororem vocat, quia si scivissent Judsei Christum advenire, recessissent, et non fuissent testes miraculi : » haec Augustinus.
Illa vero, Maria scilicet, ut audivit^ surgit a quiete contemplationis cito per desiderium cordis, et venit ex magna devotione ad eum extra castellum, in locum, ubi ei Martha occurrerat. Juddei ergo^ Jerosolymita^, et alii, qui erant cum ea,in domo ct consolabantur eam, cum vidissent Mariam, quia citosurrexit et exiit, secuti sunt eam, credentes quia iret ad monumentum, ut ibi ploraret, et nescientes quod illic Jesus esset. Divina autem providentia factum est ut eam sequerentur, quia, secundum Augustinum, haec occasio fecit ut plures ibi essent, quando Lazarus suscitatus est, ut tam grande miraculum quatriduani mortui resurgentis testes plurimos inveniret. Maria ergo, cum venisset ubi erat Jesus, videns eum cecidit^ ex devotione, ad pedes ejus, apud quos misericordiam et peccatorum veniam se noverat alias consecutam ; et dixit ei, sicut et Martha dixerat : Domine, si fuisses hic, non esset mortuus frater meus. , Ex hoc autem quod Maria sic festinavit ad eum, patet, secundum Augustinum, quod non illam praevenisset Martha, si ei notus fuisset adventus Jesus. Per hoc etiam quod Martha et Maria obviaverunt Domino, non exspectantes adventum ipsius, datur intelligi, quod cum volumus Deo reconciliari, debemus ei occurrere per poenitentiam, antequam ad nos veniat per vindictam; quia nos peccatores sumus et meruimus percussionem et poenam. Cessat autem, ut dicit Ambrosius, divina vindicta, si confessio praecurrat humana; et cum volumus Christo frui, eum venientem anticipemus, non exspectantes quod ipse nobis condescendat, sed nos potius ad eum festinemus.
Jesus ergo, ut vidit eam plorantem, scilicet Mariam, et Judseos, qui venerant cum ea plorantes de morte amici, infremuit spiritu et turbavit seipsum, humanum demonstrans affectum in luctu amicorum. Fremebat, extra sonum lugentis emittens ; turbabatur intus , miseriam conditionis humanae considerans. Turbavit se, quem alius turbare non potuit. Nos turbamur ex necessitate, ipse autem ex voluntate. Sic omnes defectus hujuscemodi suscepit , quia voluit. Unde Augustinus : « Turbatus estChristus, quia voluit ; esurivit, quia voluit ; in illius potestate erat sic vel sic affici, vel non aftici. « Et nota quod fremitus consurgit ex indignatione ad objectum. Iste ergo fremitus Christi procedebat ex indignatione ejus contra diabolum, per cujus suggestionem mors intravit in mundum, quem erat cito debellaturus.
Turbatio autem illa procedebat ex compassione Lazari et sororum ejus, quia ut verus homo ex quadam naturali affectione flebat cum flentibus, ut nos instrueret quod aliorum miseriis compati debemus. Istae tamen passiones et consimiles non erant in Christo vitiosae, sed magis virtuosse, quia non erant praevenientes judicium rationis, sed magis sequentes et per ipsum excitatae. Iste vero fremitus et haec turbatio nos docet, quid nos quoque in tali re agere debcamus, quando vel pro nobisipsis, vel pro aliis inpeccatis lurpiter degentibus Dcum oramus. Est auteni fremitus, impctus iraj contra vitia prorumpens ; lurbatio autem, qucedam tristis cum gemitu cordis commotio. Et quia fides de Christo, Ghristus est : in corde fremit Christus, et turbatur in homiue, quando peccator computat qutcbona accepit, quae mala reddidit, et de peccatis se increpat, et reprehendit. Et dixit eis Jesus : Vhi posuistis eum ? Interrogat, nec iguorat ; in quo mystice innuit se hujusmodi peccatorem nescire, cujusmodi per Lazarutn significatur. Unde ait Glossa : « Qui absens scivit mortuum, scivit ubi esset sepultus.
Sed sic dicens,signat se quasi nescire perditum hominem. » Unde iu Scriptura: JSon 7iovi vos', et : Adam iibi es? . . . Bicunt ei : Domine^ veni et vidc : venit Dominus per compassioncm, et vidit oculis misericordiae, quia, ut ait Augustinus, videt Dominus, quando miseretur. Et afTectum suum lacrymis demonstrans , Jesus lacrymatus est^ humanitus ex pietate; mysticeverodocens hominem propter peccatum fletibus indigere, et signilicans eos qui peccati morte sopiuntur, ut reviviscere queant, plangendos esse. Unde ait Alcuinus : « Quia fons pietatis erat, Hebat pro parte humanitatis, quem resuscitare poterat per potentiam divinitatis.»
Unde et Aiigustinus : « Quare autem flevit Christus, nisi quia homines flere docuit? Lacrymemus igitur et nos, pro nobis, ct cmnibus ilhs, quos in foetore vitiorum jacere sentimus ; si forte nostris lacrymis nos et eos Dominus resuscitare dignetur. » Ut autem ait idem Augustinus : « Lcgitur Christum super Lazarum flevisse, in orationibus pernoctasse, ex itinere fatigatum fuisse; numquam autem risisse, aut prosperatum fuisse. » Unde et Chrysostomus : « Flentem quidem illum frequenter invenies;numquam vcro ridentem, sed nec lcviter salt^m subridentem,vel gaudentem. » Et nota quod Dominus non flevit Lazarum mortuum ; scd ad hujus vitae miserias et aerumnas resuscitandum. Unde nec pro nostra, nec pro aliorum mortc tristari dcbemus. Quomodo enim ab eo pr^miis honorabimur, ad qucm venimus inviti ? Nam, secundum Apostolum : Caronam justitido reddet Djminus his, qui dili" gunt adventum ejus.
Et quid tantopere vitam desidercmus, in qua quanto magis quis fuerit, tanto majori sarcina peccatorum oneratus erit? Vel certc, Dominus mortem flevit, quam homo peccando incurrit, ac miserias et jErumnas humano generi pro cuipa indictas. Si enim peccatum non processisset, sine dubio mors sccuta non fuisset ; secuta est ergo mors etiam corporis,quam praecessit mors animae.
Jesus ergo rursum fremens in semetipso, etiam indignatus contra malitiam JudaeO' rum, de factis suis inique murmurantium, venit motus misericordia et compulsus compassione, ad monu^ mentum ; erat autem spelunca^ et lapis superpositus erat ei. Et dicitur monumentum, quasi monens mentem, scilicet illius qui aspicit, ut pro anima sepulti oret, ac de morte propria praecogitct, et ad eamdem se disponat. Rursum fremuit, ut det intelligere eos qui a peccatis debent resurgcre, in continuo luctu persistere, secundum illud Psalmistae: Tota die contristatus ingrediebar. Saepe ergo se ploret peccator, saepe fremat Christus et turbetur in homine, si vult reviviscere. Et jussit Jesus tolli lapidem superpositum, ut omnes viderent mortuum foetidum et corruptum ; sed contendebat Martha, quae dicit ei : Domine, jam fostet, quatriduanus est enim. Timebat, remoto lapide, potius foetoremexcitari,quam fratrem resuscitari. Quasi diceret : Licet aliquando rcsuscitati sint mortui rccenter et post paululum, tamen quod jam quatriduanus cx foetoreresolutus rcsuscitetur,numquam est sic auditum. Et hoc videtur processisse ex admiratione Martliie et ejus ignorantia, quia ejusdem virtulis est resuscitare recenter mortuum, et quatriduanum.
Vide mirabilem amorem i:o istarum sororum erga Dominum Jesum; nolebant eaim quod etiam foetor nares ejus tangeret ad modicum. Deinde, sublato lapide, Jesus, elevatis sursum^ in coelum scilicet, oculis, Patri pro exauditione sua gratias egit, ad fidei aedificationem, ut circumstantes hoc audientes, et virtutem Dei in eo videntes, crederent eum esse Filium Dei. Unde Eilarius : « Non prece eguit; nobis oravit, ne Filius ignoraretur. Cum enim sibi non proficeret deprecationis sermo, ad profectum tamen nostrse fidei loquebatur. Non inops ergo auxilii, sed nos sumus inopes doctrinae. » Ideo etiam oravit, ut in necessitatibus ad orationis suffragium esse recurrendum nos doceret. :Et notandum, quod orare Patrem, et exaudiri,convenit Christo ratione humanitatis, in qua est minor Patre; non autem ratione divinitatis, in qua est ei aequalis. Oraturus vero gratias pro exauditione egit, quia jam se auditum cognovit.
\]n&QOrigenes: « Erat enim oraturus pro resurrectione Lazari, sed prjBveniens illius orationem, qui solus bonus Pater est, exaudivit dicenda. Pro impletione ergo orationis, subdit gratiarum actiones, ideo dixit : Pater, gratias tibi ago, quoniam exaudisti me : » haec Origenes. Per hoc quod Jesus oculos elevat in coelum, ostendit nobis formam orandi, quae est per elevationem mentis in Deum. Unde instruimur, ut in oratione levemus sursum ad Deum oculos mentis nostrae, erigendo et removendo illos a praesentibus rebus, memoria, cogitatione atque intentione. Oculos etiam ad Deum Ievamus,quando non confidentes de meritis nostris, de sola misericordia Dei speramus. Per hoc autem quod in principio orationis gratias agit, datur nobis exempkim ut cum orare volumus, antequam futura petamus, pro receptis beneficiis Deo gratias referamus. Deus enim ex gratiarum actione de praeteritis, facilius provocatur ad praestanda beneficia sequentia.
Deinde, h^ec cum dixisset^voce magna, potius vii-tute, quam clamoris intentione, clamavit : Lazare, veni foras, scilicet quantum ad corpus de sepulcro, et quantum ad animam de inferno; et sic Lazarum vocis suae virtute suscitavit. Ubi, secundum Origenem, est considerandum, quod mora tollendi lapidem adjacentem ex sorore defuncti causata est, et ideo tamdiu resuscitatio fratris dilata est, quamdiu Christumperverba delinuit; sed statim, cum Christi mandatum obedientia exsequitur, frater resuscitatur, ut per hoc discamus nihil interponere inter jussa Christi et exsecutionem ipsorum, si cupimus quod statim sequatur salutis effectus, secundum illud Psalmistae : In auditu auris obedivit mihi. Et nota, quod vox Christi magna dicilur, propter virtutis magnitudinem; nam tanta virtus ejus fuit quod suscitavit Lazarum a morte, quemadmodum suscitatur dormiens a somno vel a sopore. Vox etiam ista magna repraesentativa est illius vocis magnae, quae erit in communi resurrectione, per quam omnes de monumentis resuscitabuntur. Tanta enim erat virtus hujus vocis Christi, ut absque temporis dilatione vitam conferret, sicut erit in resurrectione communi, quando in ictu oculi, mortui audientes sonum tubae resurgent. Ciamavit, inquam : Lazare veni foras^ quem, secundum Augustinum, ideo cx proprio nomine vocat, quia tanla erat virtus vocis ejus, quod paritcr omnes mortuicogerentur exire, nisi per expressionem nominis virtutem suam ad unum determinasset. Et statim non solum suscitatus est Lazarus, qui fuerat mortuus, sed p7'odiit et exivit, licet esset ligatus pedes et manus institis, id est faciis, quibus antiqui mortuos involvebant ; et facies illius sudario erat ligata, ne scilicet horrorem faceret. In quo virtus divina et miraculi certitudo declaratur, ideo enim ligatum et coopertuin resurgere jussit, ut miraculum magis approbaretur.
Unde Dominus discipulis praecepit, ut eum qui foris ligatus apparebat solverent; dixit enim illis : Solvite eum et sinite abire; ut per opera vitae ostenderetur vere suscitatus et non phantastice. I)E RESUSC1T\TI0NR LAZARI.
Hic est notatidum quod mors auimae est animjc a Deo derelictio damnosa, qiiod fit per peccatum mortale, quo Deus repeliitur ab auima. Uude, secundum Augustinum, mors animoe fit, cum deserit oam Deus ; sicut corporis, cum id deserit anima. Qualuor autem progressibus mors animae perficitur, et i^ic quatriduanus mortuus dici meretur : prima est quasi titillatio delectationis in corde ; secunda, consensio; tertia, factum ; quarta, consuetudo. Scd Deusab hac morte animam advitam resuscitat per gratiam, qua anima Deo reconciliatur. Quia sicut corpus vivit ex conjunctione animse; sicanima dicitur vivere ex unione Dei, per gratiam sanctificantem. Et haec vivificatio significatur in resuscitatione Lazari de sepulcro.
In resuscitatione eniniLazari plura facta sunt, quae mystice ad resuscitationem peccatorisconcurrere debent. Nam eo ordine quotidie peccator resuscitatur, quo Lazarus resuscitatus dicitur ; et talis fit quotidie processus in resuscitatione animae a morte peccati, qualis fuit in resuscitatione Lazari de fcetore sepulchri. — Primum ergo quod requiritur ad resuscitationem peccatoris, est notitia divina actualis, qua Deus respicit peccatorem, in aliquo tempore certo; et haec significatur per hoc quod sorores Lazari miserunt nuntium ad Jesum, sibi de infirmitate Lazari notificando. — Secundum est auxiHum, quod Deus porrigit homini, ut liberum arbitrium moveatur iu Deum, et sic anima, per peccatum a Deo aversa, convertat se ad ipsum : Non enim est volentis velle, neque currentis -currere, sed miserentis Dei haec donare, et ideo reijuiritur auxilium divinum, ut nos melius ad gratiam disponamus; et h;iec porrectio divini auxilii signatur per hoc quod Jesus adLazarum ire dignatus est. — Tertium est motus liberi arbitrii nostri, quia, secuudum Augustimm^ licet Deus creavit te sine te, qoq tamen justificabit te sinc te; et ideo ex pnrte nostri requiritur motus Hberi arhitrii , qui duplexest : unus, quod movetur supcr peccatuin, ut scilicct peccatum ci displiceat; ahus, quo movetur in Deum pcr fidem et spem. quo Deum sibi reconciliari desideret. Ei hi diio niutus notantur per occursum (liiarum sororum, scilicet Marlhae et Mariae, ita quod primus motus intelliij^atiirper Martham, quae prioroccurrit; secundus, per Mariam, quae venit vocata per Martham : sic enim hic, ex primo motu provocatursecundus. — Quartum est cogniiio peccati, iu quam Deus quaerendo reducit hominein, ut homo secognoscere studeat, quem Deus quaerendo quasi nescire se sigiii[icat;et hoc sigoatur per hoc quod interrogavit, ubi eum posuerunt.
— Quintum est gratia contritionis, quae sequitur motionem liberi arbitrii, et cognitionem peccati ; et haec significatur per lacrymationem Christi, quae quidem lacrymae processerunt ex fonte divinae misericordiae, et his lacrymis quotidiepeccator perfunditur, cum sibi haec gratia infunditur. Christus enim non est lacrymatus pro morte Lazari corporali ; sed pro morte peccatoris spirituali, qui in Lazaro repraesentabatur. Caveat ergo peccator ne lacrymas Christi contemnendo gratiam sibi evacuet,sed potius cum Christo flente,peccata sua defieat et sic effectum lacry marum Christi suscipiat. — Sextum est propositum cavendi peccata in futurum, et hoc notatur in co quod praecepit amoveri lapidem. Tunc enim iapis sepulcro toilitur, cum durities propositi peccandi, et moles malae consuetudinis de corde amovetur. Et cum iapis deponitur, tunc foeditas cadaveris detegitur, unde dixit Martha : Domine, jam fodtet ; sic duritia cordis amota, videtur vihtas peccati, ex quo sequitur peccati abominatio, et concipitur propositum ulterius non peccandi. — Seplimum est gratiae infusio, qua justificatur impius ; et hoc notatur cum voce magna clamavit dicens : Lazare^ veni foras. Clamor magnus signat multitudinem divinae virtutis, quae m exigitur in justificatione impii, quia, secundum Augustinum , major est justificatio impii, quam creatio coeli etterrae.
Voce enim magna clamavit, quia difficile surgit quem moles malae consuetudinis opprimit ; sed tamen post magnam Yocem surgit, id est per magnam Dei gratiam vivificatur et justificatur, dum poenitet. Datur etiam perhoc inlelligi, quod Christus vocat peccatorem foras exire de conversatione peccati, et de occultatione ejus, per confessionem faciendam sacerdoti. — Octavum ergo est peccatorum confessio, quam Deus administrat voce clamando, id est magna gratia vocando; et hoc notaturin eo, quod Lazarus prodiit de sepulchro ; prodire enim est de occulto per confessionem venire. Sed adhuc peccator non est totaliter solutus, antequam superveniat absolutio sacerdotis ; quod significatur per hoc quod prodiit ligatus pedes et manus institis. — Nonum ergo est sacramentalis absolutio; quae significatur per hoc quod Christus dixit discipulis ; Solvite eum. Potuisset quidem immediate simplici verbo ipsummet solvere, sicut fecit ipsum de monumento prodire ; sed voluit suos discipulos in hoc cooperatores habere, quia vult hoc ministerium sacerdotibus communicare. Suscitat Jesus, quia per semetipsum vivificat interius; solvunt discipuli,quia ministerio sacerdotum absolvuntur vivificati : Christus enim, dum per se intus vivificat, ministris potestatem solvendi tribuit. Mortuus ergo procedens adhuc ligatus est confitens adhuc reus ; ut autem absolvantur peccata ejus, ministris mandatur ut illum solvant.
Sicut ergo Dominus Lazarum suscitavit, priusquam a discipulis solveretur; sic in contritione peccatum dimittit, et pcccatorem vivificat, priusquam a sacerdote absolvatur, cui tamen poslea se ostendere tenetur. — Decimum e\. ultimum est satisfactio; quae signatar in hoc quod Jesus subdidit : Et sinite eum abit^e. Non dicit: Faciteeum ad sepulchrum redire. Sic sacerdos debet principaliler pro satisfactione injungere homini quod de sepulchro et profundo peccatorum et malae consuetudinis longe abeat, et nullatenus recidivet, et amplius non peccet. Dixit enim : Sinite eum abire, non stare. vel jacere sine exercitio spirituali ; quia in Dei via stare, retrocedere est, sed debet ambulare juxta illud Psalmi : Ibunt de virtute in mrtutem.
Itcm mystice, per Lazarum languentem, significari etiam potest gravem tentationem patiens ; et per ejus sorores, personge pro ejus alleviatione devote Christum precantes, quaenon semper exaudiuntur ; sed talispatiens aliquando per actum peccati mortalis mori permittitur, ab eo qui est tantae bonitatis et potentiae, quod scit et potest bona de malis elicere. In hoc autem quod Dominus vadit ad eum suscitandum, ostenditur ejus clementia : in quantum homines in peccatis existentes et quasi mortuos, ac per se ad Deum accedere non valentes, misericorditer praeveniendo attrahit; et peccatorem non solum mortuum per culpam, sed etiam aliquando foetentem per infamiam, et sepultum sub lapide per obstinationem, sic reducit ad vitam gratiae, quod non solum tolhtur obstinatio et mors culpae, sed etiam foetor infamiae, et reducitur suavis odor bonae famae. Nulla enim desperationi datur occasio, cum Lazarus jam foetens, et quatriduanus resurrexit a mortuis et monumento. Locus autem infirmi erat Bethania, quae interpretatur domus obedientide, per quod datur inteihgi, quod si infirmus sit Deo obediens,potest ab eo de facili curari. Et, secundum Anselmum^ in Bethania, quod domus obedientiae interpretatur, Dominus Lazarum suscitavit, ut ostenderet omnes, qui bonae voluntatis studio huic mundo morientes, in sinu obedientiae requiescunt, in vitam aeternam a Deo resuscitandos. Ista autem Bethania eratMarthaeetMariae,perquasdupiex vita, scilicet: activa et contemplativa significatur ; ut sic per hoc intelligi detur, quod per obedientiam homo perfectus in vita activa et contemplativa redditur. Dicitur autem de SiEORUlM. Lazaro quod postea numquam risit; ct uumquam iu gestu sigua jocosa ostendit;pro coquodvita^ hujusairumnis, quas moriens evaserat, redditus fuit.
Magis enim quam ante factus amator vitae illius, poenitebat eum vitJE istius. Unde Augustinus : « 0 si possemus excitare homines, et cum ipsis pariter excitari, uttales essemus amatoresvitaBpermanentisqualessunt homines amatoresvitaefugientis ! » 1 1 Tempus quo patratum est hoc miRACULUM — Creditur autem hoc factum, ea die qua in Ecclesia solet legi, scilicet feria sexta ante dominicam de Passione Domini. Monumentum vero Lazari demonstrat ecclesia ibidem in honorem beatae Mariae Magdalenae constructa , et grande monasterium magnaolivarum silva circumdatum, ubi erat abbatia sancti Lazari, cum abbatissa et monialibus Ordinis sancti Benedicti. Multi ergo ex Judseis qui viderant mirabilia, quae fecerat Jesus^ crediderunt in eum. Nec mirum, quia illud signum fuit divinae virtutis manifeste ostensivum, et tale miraculum non est a seculo auditum, scilicet quod mortuus qualriduanus in monumento resuscitaritur ad vitam. Unde, secundum Augustinum^ hoc excedit omne miraculum,quod Jesus circa Lazarum fecit, quem ab ipso inferni inquilino, destructa lege tartarea, redire ad superos jussit. Quidam autem ex ipsis Judaeis abierunt eadem die ad Pharisseos, et dixerunt nuntiaveruntque eisquds fecit Jesus; et ceiebris erat ser, mo de eo apud multos.
Aiii bono, alii malo zelo moti nuntiaverunt, quia sicut ex signis visis boni convertuntur et proficiunt, ita frequenter mali obdurantur et deficiunt. Boni quidem nuntiaverunt eis, ut mitigarent eos circa Je^um, et provocando ut crederent ; mali vero, ut concitarent eos contra Jesum, et prodendo ut saevirent. Per bonos illi signantur, qui bona in aliis sicut in se amant, et omnia in bonum interpretantur ; per malos autem, illi c{ui videntes servorum Dei opera, odiis insequuntur et infamare conantur. ORATIO Benignissime Jesu, qui quatriduanum Lazarum jam foetentem a sepulchro resuscitasti, et a vinculis solvere, ac libere abire fecisti, moveantur, obsecro, viscera misericordiae tuae super me miserum, peccati delectatione, consensu et perpetratione mortuum, mole malae consuetudinis oppressum et sepultum, jamque quatriduanum et foetidum ; et me a sepulchro vitiorum resuscita, ut per confessionem foras yeniam. Resuscitatum a vinculis peccatorum et mortis solve; solutum ab omni servitute, liberum, in libertatem gloriae fiHorum Dei ire concede. Amen.
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