The story of Lazarus is one of the best known in Scripture: Our Lord and His Apostles are away from Jerusalem; the brother of Martha and Mary falls ill; they send word to Our Lord about this fact; He remains away two more days; when He arrives at Lazarus’s house, he has been entombed for four days. After Martha and Mary express their faith in Christ, He goes to the tomb and commands the dead man to come out, which he does.
The meaning of Lazarus’s name is the finishing touch to this remarkable event. It is the Hellenized version of Eleazar, which is directly from the Hebrew for “God” (‘el) and “help” (azar). The combination of words translates roughly to “God is my Helper” or “God has helped.” Clearly, God did help Lazarus at his darkest hour.
Like all tales from Scripture, though, there is more to this one than meets the eye. It was indeed a historical event, but there are many ways to interpret it.
In his sermon on the resurrection of Lazarus, for example, St. Augustine of Hippo took this historical event and applied it to the soul.
The four days Lazarus spent in the tomb he represented as four types of sin: 1) the original sin that resulted in the Fall; 2) the sin of ignoring the natural law engraved in our hearts; 3) the sin of ignoring the written law of the Ten Commandments; and 4) the sin of ignoring Christ, God Himself made Incarnate.
Our Lord’s coming to Lazarus in the tomb represents God’s grace entering our souls. Like Lazarus responding to Christ’s call despite the tight bands of his shroud, our souls repent despite the bondage of sin and are cleansed through the graces of contrition and absolution.
And, like Lazarus, our souls proclaim that “God has helped” us cast off spiritual death and enter into a new life.
This is especially meaningful at Christmas, when we most miss those who have passed. Remember that Our Lord holds them in His Heart when you hang our Merry Christmas From Heaven Ornament on your tree. Made of silver plate, this ornament is inscribed with a beautiful verse from the Merry Christmas From Heaven poem and accompanied with a bookmark containing the full poem. Available today at The Catholic Company!
