Story of Lazarus a fitting one for these days

For many Christian churches, this Sunday’s Gospel is the account of the raising of Lazarus. According to the story, Lazarus lived in the town of Bethany outside of Jerusalem with his two sisters, Martha and Mary. These three were not only among the first disciples of Jesus, but they were three of the five people the Christian scripture expressly says that Jesus loved. St John’s Gospel records that on one occasion Lazarus became seriously ill. His sisters send word to Jesus to come quickly. But Jesus delayed and Lazarus died. In fact, by the time Jesus finally arrived in their village, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. So when Martha went out to meet Jesus, her greeting reflected both her sorrow and her faith: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

For many of us, Martha’s words take on a new and personal significance. As we hear about those across the world – and now in our own community – ill and dying from COVID-19, her words are becoming increasingly ours: “Lord, if you were here, my sibling, parent, grandparent, friend, neighbor, co-worker would not have died ...”

In other words: where are you, loving God, in the midst of this moment of human suffering and death?

The Jesuit priest and author James Martin recently published an op-ed piece in the New York Times in which he challenged Christians to examine whether they could follow a God they could not understand. And though it makes some Christians uncomfortable, it’s a fair question. Like Martin, for me, part of the answer is found in the classical Christian belief that Jesus was “true God and true man.” As Christians, we believe that God understands and empathizes with the fullness of the human condition – including illness, loss and death – because He became one of us.

But, at the same time, I

The Rev. Jordan Lenaghan

recognize and respect in all honesty that for some this will not be an acceptable answer.

To be frank, I don’t have an intellectually satisfying answer to the problem of evil in the world. But what I have is this: in the life and teachings of Jesus I see how to respond to this current situation. During his earthly ministry, Jesus constantly encountered people who were ill or disabled. He showed them compassion; he affirmed their dignity; he called them back into community; he healed them. Through his example, Christians believe that Jesus demonstrates to us how God chooses to be in the world. We are now called in the midst of this current crisis to do the same.

On the practical level, this means for me: Take what I need. Share what I have. Don’t panic. Reach out to my neighbor. Be smart and don’t put others at risk by my actions. Practice social distancing. Speak up for those who can’t. Exercise. Take medical and public health advice only from physicians and scientists. Breathe. Tell the people I love that I love them. Pray.

In the end, I may not understand where God is in the midst of this crisis, but I believe that God does understand our situation. To paraphrase Thomas Merton: in Jesus, God chose to love us with a human heart. I need simply to look to the life of Jesus and emulate His example.

The story of the raising of Lazarus ends with Jesus calling for him to come out of the tomb. And he came out. He was healed, and restored to his family and community. The grave could not hold him. And with the full assurance of Christian hope, we believe it cannot hold us, either. Darkness will become light. Sickness will give way to health. Evil will be conquered by Good. And, in the final tally, death will be transformed into Life. It is this faith, like the faith of Martha, which sustains me in this moment. I pray it sustains you, as well.

May God, who healed Lazarus and restored him to life, watch over, protect us, and keep us safe now and always. Amen.

Contributed photo