WEDNESDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF GREAT LENT

Lazarus died yesterday. He is our true friend and brother, who has always accompanied us through the pages of the Gospel and along the paths of Great Lent. As often happens with our loved ones, we have become accustomed to the fact that he is alive. And then he died. He is not with us. “Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.’” - Gospel of St. John (John 11:13).

According to the chronology of the Orthodox liturgy, this happened yesterday, Tuesday of the sixth week of Great Lent. The key sticheron of the Office of Vespers tells us: “Today Lazarus has given up his spirit, and Bethany mourns for him,” the hymn reads.

During Jesus’ earthly life, Bethany was a village located on the west bank of the Jordan River, 3 kilometers from Jerusalem, on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. According to the Gospel account, the Lord was on his way to the Holy City during these days, where he was to begin to reign in his Messianic Kingdom. Bethany was on his way.

On Wednesday of the sixth week, Lazarus was in the tomb. According to Middle Eastern custom, he was buried shortly after his death. The verse from Vespers describes in detail what happened to his body and soul: “On the second day, Lazarus was in the tomb. He saw those who had been dead since time immemorial. There, he saw terrible terrors, an innumerable multitude of those chained by hellish bonds.” “Hell is other people,” wrote Jean-Paul Sartre. Lazarus sees others in their suffering, and among these others, he sees himself.

These are very profound liturgical texts that constitute one of the central themes of this week. Unfortunately, most believers are deprived of the opportunity to attend daily religious services. The true richness of meaning escapes their attention. We should thank God that such an opportunity to be in church, to read and listen to the service, is still offered. Under no circumstances should we complain about frequent services.

Church tradition says that after Christ’s resurrection, Lazarus preached the good news in southern Gaul, as southern France was then called. He ended his life in Cyprus, as a bishop, that is, at the head of the local Christian community in the city of Kition, as modern Larnaca was then called.

The tomb of Saint Lazarus, along with some of his relics, is preserved in Larnaca Cathedral. Lazarus’s illness on Monday of the sixth week of Lent, his death on Tuesday, his stay in the tomb on Wednesday, and up until the Lord’s coming to Bethany are experienced in a special way today during the divine services.

“Lazarus is dead!” - the Orthodox Christians of Larnaca say this to each other these days. Grace is communication. The Holy Spirit gives communion in sorrow, in good and bad news, and in joy.

On Saturday, the Gospel of John, which recounts the resurrection of Lazarus, is solemnly read, and then a religious procession with the relics takes place along the seashore and throughout the city.

The Lord raised Lazarus from the dead and went to Jerusalem. Under no circumstances should we view this with fatalistic eyes. If all the people believed in Him, the Kingdom of the Messiah and the Salvation of the World, in another form, could really come about. The method of this is unknown to us and will never again be accessible to our understanding. God is the Master of History. As the original Greek text of the Creed literally says: “He is the poet of Heaven and Earth.”

Like all biblical righteous people, Lazarus is a beggar who loves his brothers and sisters. He shared with us the events of his life and death. Legend has it that Lazarus was one of the authors of the Gospel of John. According to the tradition of the local Church of Larnaca, one should address Lazarus with a request for intercession in the following manner: “Pray to God for us, friend of Christ.”