AUDIO MEDITATION:

Gerard Douffet (Flemish, 1564-1660), The Raising of Lazarus. Public domain.

FULL TEXT:

In his words and deeds, Jesus tells us, “I am the resurrection and the life.” It is only through him that we receive eternal life and move towards union with God.

In this painting, Lazarus has one foot in the tomb and one outside of it, and his gaze is firmly directed towards Jesus. The crowd around Jesus and Lazarus all react in different ways to what is going on—one even holds his nose anticipating the stench of the grave—but they are outsiders to the central dynamic, which is the loving reunion between Lazarus and Jesus. Jesus seems ready to return Lazarus’ embrace, as though he’s welcoming home a good friend who has been on a journey.

We know that death is not the end for us, nor for those we love. How might we, like Lazarus here, fix our gaze more intently on Jesus, who has conquered death?