Homily II on Saint Lazarus

1I love the place of the Church, this spiritual banquet of mine that brings us together; for the gathering of the Church is indeed a feast for God, where we are filled with a mystical cup and fed with the living bread of the Lamb.

Since the King of the angels has dwelt upon the earth, banquets and luxuries have been gathered together for the faithful, and the mourning of nature has been turned back upon the procurer of mourning from the times beginning with the advent of the Savior.

For nature, immediately receiving the light of the Lord, was joy from early songs and overflowing leaps; it was fitting to send forth precursors of grace, in which the fetuses played, rejoicing with their mothers: 'For the fetus leapt in her womb in exultation' (Luke 1:44).

On a pangless childbed the Virgin was blessed to give birth, heaven called from above through a star the Magi, the earth was full of angels rejoicing with those on earth, the demons sent away what they held, and diseases released the bodies.

From here the paralytic ran away, from there the blind stood up seeing, here the leper cleansed his leprosy, there the lake dried up the flow of much blood, this one who was a stammerer became fluent, and another, toward the recovery of hearing, recovered the speaking of words that were previously broken and he plucked short.

And what need is there to speak of the barren woman at the feasts who drank wine, or of those coming out from the tombs, the dead; 'Young man,' he says, 'I say to you, rise' (Luke 7:14).

The tomb released even Lazarus, but thus called, he hastened as if swaddled to display a course, having filled the fourth day in the tomb, much moreover of the entrails having been devoured by worms, and the harmony of the whole body having been torn apart, the tomb possessed the stench of corruption.

But the fragrance of life alleviated the putrefaction of the entrails, and the tomb became like a womb for the one lying there; and just as when sown in a womb and not in a tomb, Lazarus the old and new man was drawn forth, newly formed.

O, what a new miracle! A man was brought forth to us for life from the tomb, as if an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes within the burial wrappings.

For the voice of the Master, having been known to the dead with the swaddling clothes, drew him from the tomb, saying, 'Lazarus, come forth outside.'

And at the word, quickly, the dead was gathered together, the limbs running toward one another in the tomb: the eye returned to its proper order, the nose filled its region, the cheeks fell into their former shape, the throat was drawn together with the shoulders and the head, the hands were arranged in a pair toward motion, the joints came together in harmony, the bites of teeth were set in order, the nerves were loosed from their bonds, and the nature of the bones was put on, being extended along with...

2The body is formed gradually, with veins and arteries developing, along with marrow, membranes, and hairs.

The body is constructed slowly, with each limb being formed by the power of the word.

Just as a horse is formed from various components, the dead man, awakened by the voice of the master, is called, formed, and appears from the tomb.

The command to Lazarus is clear: 'Lazarus, come out' (John 11:43).

Before saying 'arise', he commands the exit.

First, Lord, raise him, and then, having arisen, command him to run.

The one lying down is still being hastened to run, a remarkable transformation.

Why do you proclaim the exit to the one lying down before the resurrection?

He says, 'Yes, to the one lying down, I command the run, so that I may not, having been occupied with the dead for two things, delay the exit. I say to him: 'Come out', so that he may run more quickly, having taken one deadline for both resurrection and run.'

Immediately, Lazarus jumps out of the tomb, as if he were a guardian rather than a dead man.

Hades below, as it seems, gives back the dead man and cries out in response.

Hades asks who this is who, with his voice, awakens the dead from their tombs as if they were sleeping.

Hades asks who loosens the old laws of the dead.

Hades is provoked to raise his dead.

Hades asks who proclaims a return to the dead.

Hades sees his scepter of tyranny over humans being taken away, as he sees.

Hades acknowledges that his prison of death is rotten.

Hades recalls that Elijah took one of his dead away for the sake of a woman (1 Kings 17:22-24).

Hades notes that after Elijah, Elisha came and also snatched away some of his dead (2 Kings 4:32-37).

Hades finds that this one is more bitter to him than the dead, having campaigned as a helper, calling the dead who have been buried as if they were living.

Hades has been robbed of a dead person whom he had buried.

The four-day-old body triumphs over Hades, with the funeral clothes dancing together with the living.

Hades fears that he will be trampled afterwards, with the swaddling clothes of the dead person who has escaped alongside him.

Hades wonders who will frighten him, now that he has been conquered by the dead person and has become like a guardian of the dead.

Hades sees Lazarus as a kind of deposit of the tomb, like gold given with seals.

Lazarus was bound with bands and placed with the tomb, but with the same bonds, he was given back to life.

The Jewish crowd was unbelieving and doubtful towards the great wonder-working, even now…

The passage begins and ends mid-sentence, with the original text being a fragment.

4The gift of eternal life is in danger of being lost in the tomb, where the body lies lifeless. However, the story of the Jews' wickedness reminds me of Lazarus' resurrection, which in turn reminds me of the resurrection of the dead, when the tombs will be shaken and the dead will rise incorruptible. At that time, the earth will be troubled with fear, and the heavenly trumpets will sound to the people, signaling the start of the final judgment.

The judge will come down from heaven, accompanied by the armies of angels, and the righteous will meet him in the clouds. The demons will be led to judgment, and the devil will be brought bound, while the tyrants will be dragged to the fearful tribunal. The plunder of the rich will be punished, and the patience of the poor will be crowned. The conspiracies of kings will be confessed, and the lives of priests will be examined. The ranks of virgins will be honored, and the hidden adulteries will be punished. The dignity of the sober will be rewarded, and the licentiousness of the adulterers will be punished. The kindness of the long-suffering will be crowned, and the denunciation of the slanderers will be hidden. The crowds of those who have truly repented will be blessed, and the hypocrisy of the hypocrites will be scourged. As the apostle Paul says, we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and each will receive what they have done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, being reminded of these things, let the lover of pleasure mourn, for matter is the fuel of the fire of hell. Let the luxurious one punish his belly, for it is the source of many evils.

The prophet rebuked the Sodomites for their gluttony, which is a burdensome thing, and he declared that their sin was that they had an abundance of bread and lived in luxury. The rich are warned to hate greed, just as they would hate a reed that fuels unquenchable fire. On the other hand, the poor are encouraged to be strengthened in endurance, for patience is a pious cooling of hell.

The Greek is urged to learn from impiety, and the heretic is warned to search out heretical doctrines as one would search out tombs, before the voice that will shout to the dead comes. This voice is the bridegroom, Christ our God, who will judge the living and the dead. Let us glorify him with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.