In the Footsteps of our Faith by J.

Gil
Bethany: Shrine of the Raising of Lazarus

The Gospels tell us that Jesus had no place to rest his head, but they also tell us that he had many good, close friends, eager to have him stay in their homes (Christ is Passing By, 108). Outstanding among those friends were Martha, Mary and Lazarus, three siblings who lived in Bethany. Although we do not know how they first met our Lord, we know that he and they were very close, that they loved each other and showed their love in deeds both great and small. How could anyone fail to be moved on recalling Marthas dialogue with Jesus as she complained about her sister? A woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lords feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me. But the Lord answered her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her. (Lk 10:3842) Bethany was on the east slope of the Mount of Olives, three kilometres from Jerusalem. Together with Bethphage, nearby, it was the last resting-place for those travelling to Jerusalem from Jericho. In ancient times it was no more than a village, though not completely unknown: in Scripture it is mentioned under the name Ananiah, among the places

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repopulated by Benjaminites after the return from Babylon (cf. Nehemiah 11:32). The prefix Beth-, meaning house of, will have been added later, after which the name evolved into its familiar form, Bethany. Martha, Mary and Lazarus must often have offered our Lord hospitality in their home. In particular, during the days leading up to the Passion, from Palm Sunday to Jesus arrest. During that week, since Bethany was so close to Jerusalem, he must have gone back and forth between the two every day (the road is now blocked), over the Mount of Olives. At night he would recoup his energy in the company of his friends and disciples. At one point, Mary was the main character in an event of which our Lord said, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her (Mk 14: 9; cf. Mt 26: 13). This took place, not in their house, but in the house of one of their neighbours, Simon, known as Simon the leper. There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at table with him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said, Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it.

Jesus said, Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have

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with you, but you do not always have me. (Jn 12: 2-8; cf. Mt 26:6-13 and Mk 14: 3-9) Bethany is famous not only because our Lord stayed there on several occasions, but especially because of the amazing miracle he worked there: the raising of Lazarus. From the earliest times of Christianity the tomb of Jesus friend Lazarus was a focus of devotion, and in the fourth century a shrine was built there. The Byzantine name for the place, to Lazarion, was at the root of the Arabic name for Bethany, Al-Azariya or Al-Eizariya. All traces of the house itself, however, have disappeared. Archaeological excavations have revealed some of the features of the Byzantine shrine. Modelled on other churches of those times such as the Holy Sepulchre, it was made up of a basilica on the eastern side, the monument over the place that was venerated on the western side, and a courtyard between the two. The basilica had a central nave and two lateral aisles, separated by pillars with Corinthian capitals, and paved with rich mosaics. It appears to have been destroyed by an earthquake. At the end of the fifth century or beginning of the sixth, another church was built, using part of the foundations of the original one, but shifting the whole structure of the church towards the east. This church survived until the time of the Crusades, when it was restored and embellished. Also in the twelfth century, a new basilica was built over the tomb of Lazarus, which, being a cave dug out of the rock, now became a crypt. Additionally, on the initiative of Queen Melisande, an abbey of Benedictine nuns was founded there. This complex of buildings changed between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when a mosque was built in the area of the courtyard and tomb, and Christian pilgrims were generally prevented from entering. Between 1566 and 1575, the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land managed to gain access to the tomb of Lazarus, but they had to open up a new way to it by digging a passage of steps down from the outer perimeter of the zone. This tunnel is still used today, although the site continues to be owned by Muslims. On the eastern side, on the remains of the Byzantine basilicas, the Custody built the present church in 1954. It takes the form of a mausoleum, with its outline in the shape of a Greek cross, and an octagonal cupola surmounted by a dome. Each of the arms of the cross is adorned with a rounded mosaic, representing the most significant Gospel scenes connected with Bethany: the dialogue between Martha and Jesus; the two sisters receiving him after the death of Lazarus; the raising of Lazarus; and the dinner in the house of Simon. The construction of the church produces a striking contrast between the semi-darkness of the church and the light that floods the cupola, symbolizing death and hope of resurrection.

So that they may have life Jesus is the Son who from all eternity receives life from the Father (cf. Jn 5:26), and who has come among men to make them sharers in this gift: I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (Jn 10:10) (Blessed John Paul II, Encyclical Evangelium Vitae, 25 March 1995,

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no. 29). God wants us to share in his life of blessedness. He is close to us, he helps us to seek him, to learn about him, and to love him, but at the same time he wants our free response, he wants us to welcome his call (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 1-3). The Gospel account of the raising of Lazarus contains many elements that can stir up our faith and move us to beg our Lord for the most valuable thing he can grant us: the grace of a new conversion for ourselves, and for our families, relatives and friends. "If you wish to get close to Our Lord through the pages of the Gospels, I always recommend that you try to enter in on the scene, taking part as just one more person there. In this way (and I know many perfectly ordinary people who live this way) you will be captivated like Mary was, who hung on every word that Jesus uttered; or, like Martha, you will boldly make your worries known to him, opening your heart sincerely about them all, no matter how little they may be" (Friends of God, no. 222). In Bethany we can see Christs love and affection, which reveals the infinite love of God the Father for every human being; and we can also see that Martha and Mary had faith that Christ could cure their brother: Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, Lord, he whom you love is ill. But when Jesus heard it he said, This illness is not unto death; it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by means of it. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. (Jn 11:2-6) Our Lord knew what was going to happen, but he wanted to test the two womens faith, show his power over death, and prepare his disciples for his own resurrection by raising Lazarus from the dead. And so he allowed Lazarus to die before he set out for Bethany. Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary sat in the house. Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you. Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again. Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

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Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? She said to him, Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world. When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying quietly, The Teacher is here and is calling for you. And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. (Jn 11:17-30) With the same trust as Martha when she reproached Jesus for his absence, Mary also addressed her lament to him, but expressed her faith not only in words but in a sign of adoration: Then Mary, when she came where Jesus was and saw him, fell at his feet, saying to him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled; and he said, Where have you laid him? They said to him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. So the Jews said, See how he loved him! But some of them said, Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying? Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb; it was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, Lord, by this time there will be an odour, for he has been dead four days. Jesus said to her, Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God? So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. I knew that thou hearest me always, but I have said this on account of the people standing by, that they may believe that thou didst send me. When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out.

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The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, Unbind him, and let him go. (Jn 11:32-44) St Josemaria took occasion of this passage of the Gospel to make the following consideration: For each one of us, as for Lazarus, it was really a veni foras! come out! which got us moving. How sad it is to see those who are still dead and dont know the power of Gods mercy! Renew your holy joy, for opposite the man who is decomposing without Christ, there is another who has risen with him.(The Forge, no. 476) In our friendly, confiding conversation with Jesus, we will also need to persevere in petition. Have you seen the affection and the confidence with which Christs friends treat him? In a completely natural way the sisters of Lazarus reproach Jesus for being away: We told you! If only youd been here!... Speak to him with calm confidence: Teach me to treat you with the loving friendliness of Martha, Mary and Lazarus and as the first Twelve treated you, even though at first they followed you perhaps for not very supernatural reasons.(The Forge, no. 495) In our daily battle to be faithful, St Josemaria taught, defeats dont matter as long as we turn to Christ. But he needs our cooperation, our will to let him act in us. Never despair. Lazarus was dead and decaying: By now he will smell; this is the fourth day, says Martha to Jesus. If you hear Gods inspiration and follow it Lazarus, come out! you will return to Life.(The Way, no. 719) He was Lazarus friend. He wept for him when he saw him dead, and he raised him from the dead. If he sees us cold, unwilling, rigid perhaps with the stiffness of a dying interior life, his tears will be our life. I say to you, my friend, arise and walk leave that narrow life which is no life at all.(Christ is Passing By, no. 93)

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