A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai to priests at the Manoir de Beaujeu, February 4, 2023.

In the death and burial of Lazarus Jesus watched the long procession of mourners from the first to the last, and the reason of it all. He understood the very reason for all those mourners. He knew deeply, in its essence how death came into the world with the sin of Adam. He wept for Lazarus, but he weeps for you and me too, because we too will die.

John 11, 38: "Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said."

Martha does not think it is a good idea. She says: “Lord, by now he must smell, for it is four days.” Iam fetit. (Jn 11, 39)

Makes sense, since sin and death always give off a bad smell. Bad smell of pride, the high odour of vanity. We must now remove the stone and smell out the bad odour of sin in our life, not to simply cover it over, but to get rid of it. Not simply perfume it.

Thumbnail: The Raising of Lazarus, from a codex prepared in Reichenau, during the reign of Otto III, year  1000, now in the Munich National Library.

Music: Bert Alink, Tears Keep Flowing, 2015.

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