We wonder what you saw, O Saint Jerome, in Lazarus, whose body decayed in the tomb after he had been buried for four days. I saw his sister Martha crying out, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” And I heard the voice of the Savior of the world saying to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”And He cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth” (John 11:39-43)

What did you see, O Lazarus, in this strange event? And what advice do you give us? Lazarus answers us, saying that I invite every believer to ask the giver of life to say, “Call me, O my good Savior, and hear your voice calling me by my name ‘So-and-so, come forth.'”

When He called me to come out of the grave, my heart, mind, and all my feelings were sanctified, and my concepts were renewed.

1. I saw my Savior coming towards me, weeping (John 11:35), not because my body brgan to decay, but He came to give me the eternal life so that many would believe in Him, enjoy His company, and experience the guarantee of heaven prepared for the children of men. Did you weep, my Savior, for the souls that refuse to hear your voice saying to each of us, “Come forth, preferring the stench of death over the glory of eternal life!”
2. Why, sir, did you not command the bonds around my body to be loosed? Are the bonds stronger than the death that befell Lazarus’ body and the corruption that shattered it?! You are amazing, Lord, in your love. You have granted your church the power to loosen these bonds when you said to your disciples, ” Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ” (Matthew 18:18). You have given your church a wonderful power during your work in it and through it.
3. An angel, an archangel, or any of the seraphim or cherubim were not sent to help Lazarus, but You asked your human servants to do this simple task so that the heavenly beings would be amazed by your love for the humans working in your church.
4. Tell me, O lover of mankind, why did you not ask Lazarus, after You raised him and allowed untying his bonds, to ascend to heaven so that the heavenly beings would be amazed by Your work with him? You truly left him to testify to You that You are the resurrection, so the believers in You would ask to enjoy the communion with You and taste the guarantee of resurrection while they are still in the body as Lazarus did.
5. You didn’t raise Lazarus to live on earth generation after generation to testify to what you did with him and what blessings you gave him so as to follow him and testify to your daily work in our lives as we long to depart to you according to your divine economy.
6. Tell us, sir, did Lazarus see those who departed in the early generations like Abel, Abraham, Isaac, Sarah, Rebecca, Ruth, and the prophets, and all the righteous when he was buried? I knew that it was fitting for me to realize that everything has an appropriate time for knowing it, so what is fitting for us is to focus on realizing what you said to your disciples, ” I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” (John 14: 2-4).
7. Our Christ fulfilled His role by giving us eternal life and allowed those with Him from among humans to loose Lazarus, offering us what heavenly and earthly creatures cannot provide. He does not leave us as mere spectators, but encourages us to pray and work to allow our brethren to taste what the Savior of the world offers them.