St. Vincent Ferrer – Sermon on the Raising of Lazarus John 11:1-46:

The holy gospel today briefly contains three miraculous incidents about the raising of Lazarus: 

     

The first situation is humanly reluctant. [humanitus retractiva]

HUMANLY RELUCTANT

The first situation is human reluctance. The apostles were afraid that Christ would try to raise  Lazarus, for they all could be stoned in Jerusalem, and so they were discouraging Christ from going to Bethany which is near Jerusalem, where Lazarus had died.  The promised land had been divided into three provinces: Judea, Galilee and Samaria.  Christ had many enemies in the province of Judea and they frequently wanted to kill him. He had denounced the notorious sins, and vices of the Pharisees, the princes and the priests, and he was proving himself to be divine.  But because the hour of his passion had not yet come, he withdrew from the province of Judea and came to the province of Galilee where he was beloved.  In the meantime Lazarus died in the province of Judea. So Jesus said to the apostles, "Let us go into Judea again," (Jn 11:7).  The apostles, afraid of the situation, said to Christ, "Rabbi, the Jews but now sought to stone you: and you are going there again?" (v.8).  See here the human reluctance, but indirectly, because it is human to fear carnal death. Then Christ told them that Lazarus, his friend, had died, so he wanted to go there. 

To counter their fear he said to them, "Are there not twelve hours of the day?"  If you ask, "And how is this to the point?"  I say, very much so, and according to all four of the senses of sacred scripture. 

 First according to the literal sense. When Christ said these words, it was the time of the vernal equinox, which came after the 25th of March. That was the same day he had been conceived. Fifteen days before his passion, Christ said these words, "Are there not twelve..., etc."  Literally, a day has twelve hours, as if Christ wished to say to the apostles, "You should know that the rancor or ill will of the Jews against me already has changed, for just as the day and time changes from hour to hour, so also the heart of man changes, because therefore they have already  changed [their minds], not only twelve hours ago, but many days ago, therefore, etc.  This Christ said by way of rebuking the bad opinion which they had of the Jews, because a man ought always to presume the best about his neighbor, according to that in Luke 6, "Judge not, and you shall not be judged," (v. 37).

   

"Are there not twelve, etc." is allegorical when the saying or deed is understood to be about that which a man should believe. According to this explanation Christ is called "day." Note, because just as morning and evening make one day, according to Genesis 1: "...and there was evening and morning one day," (v. 5). So God and man make one person of Christ.  Morning is the [day's] beginning, so also the divinity is the beginning of all things.  I am, "the beginning, who also speak unto you," (Jn 8:25).  Christ, as man was the evening and end of all things.  Because God made daylight first, second the firmament, third the plants, fourth the sun and stars, fifth the birds and fishes, sixth the beasts, and seventh he made man.  When therefore the Son of God took on humanity, then  "there was evening and morning one day," i.e. God and man have  become one person.  Hence the church sings, "Whose wisdom joined in meet array the morn and eve, and named them Day," (Hymn: Lucis creator optime).  About this one David says to God the Father, "By your ordinance the day goes on," (Ps 118:91).

This day has twelve hours, namely the twelve apostles, Luke 6, "And when day was come, he called his disciples unto him; and he chose twelve of them (whom also he named apostles)," (v. 13)   The first hour was Peter, and so on for the rest.  In the same place it is clear in the text when he said,  "Are there not twelve hours, " i.e. twelve Apostles are for the day, that is of Christ, which is to say just as the hours do not dismiss the natural day, nor days the hours, rather the hours follow the day inseparably, so neither ought you dismiss me, nor I you, rather I defend you.  He did just that on the night of the passion, when he said to the Jews, "If therefore you seek me, let these go their way," (Jn 18:8).  Behold the day, that is how it defends the hours.  So he said to the Father, "Of those whom you have given me, I have not lost any one, " (Jn 18:9).

  

The third explanation is tropological, that is moral.  According to this exposition the bright day is penance. Reason: because guilt is called a dark night. Thus grace to which man comes through  penitence, is called day.  About this the authority: "The night is passed, and the day is at hand," (Rom 13:12).  This day has twelve hours, namely twelve works of repentance.  

 -- The first hour is the acknowledgement of sins. Just as in the first hour the brightness of the day begins, and people can recognize each other, so in the recognition of sins man knows himself. 

 -- The second is the contrition of the heart.

 -- Third, the purpose of amendment.

 -- The fourth, the avoidance of occasions [of sin].

 -- Fifth, oral confession.

 -- Sixth, bodily penance.

 -- Seventh, spiritual prayer. 

 -- Eighth, almsgiving. 

 -- Ninth, repayment of debts.

 -- Tenth, forgiveness of injuries.

 -- Eleventh, the restoration of [another's] good name.

 -- Twelfth, eucharistic communion. 

 About this day and [these] hours Christ says to the Apostles in the gospel, "Are there not twelve hours in the day, " namely of penance which you keep, observe and do?  Therefore you need not fear from death, and so he adds, " If a man walks in the day, he stumbles not, because he sees the light of this world: But if he walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light," namely, of grace, "is not in him," (v. 9-10).

  

The fourth explanation is anagogical, from "άνώ" which is above, and "άγώ" I lead, as in "I lead above," when the saying or action is explained as pertaining to hope.  And according to this explanation the bright day is celestial glory.  Reason: because in that place there is no night or darkness, nor obscurity of ignorance. Rather, when the soul enters paradise, God immediately shows it a book in which all things are revealed and made clear. This book of life is Christ who has two pages, namely divinity and humanity.