Saint Mark Coptic Orthodox Church : Los Angeles, CA

The raising of Lazarus from the dead is not a seminar or a teaching, but a defined experience felt fact, with witnesses standing and observing, as well as by the witness of sister of the deceased. She witnessed that his body has decayed, for he has been buried now for four days. How needy is our faith for Lazarus who is raised from the dead, for Jesus who raises the dead, and revives those in the graves. How needy are we to our Lord who was the power of the resurrection. This will revive a new hope. It will renew our trust in the everlasting life with Jesus Christ… "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." (John 11:3) Both sisters, Mary and Martha sent those words to Jesus. The Lord loved Mary and Martha, and Lazarus. Their home was a comfort for Him during His sufferings. Mary is the one who washed His feet with perfumes and wiped them with her hair, and Martha is the energetic servant… The beloved sisters sent to the Lord for their brother was ill. This was a prayer more than a cry for help. It was a need, as a sign of love, at a tough time in the illness.

Wonder, are such souls, do these souls that are dear to the Lord, have to suffer hardship and sickness. Is loving the Lord, or being loved by Him, mean that we would be spared from hardship…? On the contrary, His love for us makes Him share our pains, "Because Christ also suffered for us." (1 Peter 2:21). Our love for Him makes us endure the pains, "I affirm by the boasting in you I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily." (1 Cor. 15:31).

The temptations in the lives of the sons of God reveal more of the depth of Jesus' love for us. It leads us to abide by His love till the end. A Prayer O Lord my Master… Today the church, on behalf of Martha and Mary, intercedes to You with all Your saints. It sends to You for me the sick… Everyday the prayers of Your beloved saints are lifted up to You. Today the worshipers and ascetics, those who love to reside at Your feet represent Mary, in the church. They chose the best portion, which is never shaken from them. On Your feet, they didn't only pour the perfumes of the world, but they also poured their youth and their wealth… They wiped Your feet with their hair and their honor. Today in church, Mary is the servant working with the word, suffering and struggling all day and night, in the center of work serving Your church and Your honor. The workers, who sweat in their preaching, they are planting it with tears everyday. 

O my Lord the illness of the body is an easy matter. But my illness is that of my spirit… I am sick in sin and the danger of death… You love me, for You have given Yourself on my behalf. You loved the tax collectors and the sinners… Today, O my Master, Your church is praying to You, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." (John 11:3). Have mercy on me. "He stayed two more days in the place He was." (John 11:6). The answer to a prayer might be late… It would seem, that the Lord Jesus might not care about our matter… For Lazarus died. And as the two sisters expressed, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother had not died." (John 11:21). But numerously our intention might be constraint, narrow (limited) and consisting of personal benefits. Therefore, the request by both sisters was limited to the curing of Lazarus' illness. But the Lord's intentions were: First: The Glory of the Father… This illness was not for death, but for the Glory of God… "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" (John 11:40). Therefore, the Lord Jesus arranged the time that suits with the Glory of God… This will be revealed to us in His Glory at the right time of hardship. Second: The Lord's intention was to increase the faith… With respect to the disciples' faith, "And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe." (John 11:15). The Lord Jesus directs the rudder of all matters to increase the faith. He directs all matters to work together, for good, for those who love God. "Lazarus, come forth!" (John 11:43) A word said by the Lord, after they rolled the stone, and the stench of the decay was emitting from the grave. But the Lord of life and the Master of resurrection said it. So the dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was bound about with a napkin… O Master, who would hear Your word and stay in death. One word coming from You immediately gives life, even if man has decayed in the grave of his desires and filth. "O Lord, deliver me! Oh save me for Your mercies' sake." (Ps. 6:4). "Loose him, and let him go." (John 11:44). P My Lord… I am the new Lazarus… I am the deceased… 

The bondage of sin wraps my organs, as a Christian in the grave of my desires. My eyes have been dimmed from the light of life. The darkness of the defile has set on my mind. My tongue has stuck to my mouth, and my lips have ceased to express Your truth. My mouth has been defiled with wicked words. False witness has pressured my chest. My heart has stopped the beat of Your love. Its avail has swollen spite and enmity. My kidneys have hardened because of desires and poisonous pleasures. My interiors have paralyzed my right from doing mercy. My legs have stiffened to walk in peace. My face is veiled from You with a napkin of ugliness, and decay of my limbs is imprinted over my Lord's honor bandage. If there is hope for my death through crying… Then that is my hope.

But Your tears for Lazarus will be enough for me, on which I lay my dependence… O, You who shed tears for a beloved deceased. I don’t have Martha and Mary. Today I am Your deceased, so cry for me…

I plead to You, to Your love and pity, tell Your angels to, "Loose him, and let him go." (John 11:44).

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