Lord is with Us in our Sorrows

Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go,
that I may awake him out of sleep. (Jn.11, 11)

Remember that heart-warming event that happened in Bethany, after the Lazarus’ death. Same happens with everyone’s death. Lazarus is every bellowed one that the Lord has taken from us. Martha and Maria are us, lamenting the dead one; Jesus Christ remains the same, yesterday and today and unto the ages of ages. He is ready to come to us in our sorrow as He went to Bethany to the mourning family. That was Him, the Almighty God Himself, Who turned into the loving brother – close friend, Who they said about: “Jesus wept”.

And we feel that He understands us, that He suffers with us, that our sorrow is His sorrow, that He speaks to us in this sorrow, speaks like the One, Who wept with Lazarus’ sisters and with the mother by the coffin of her son; like the One, Who Himself went through all trials and sorrows, Who loved His friends and when dying was caring about His Mother. He speaks to us as the Son of men, like “a Man of sorrow and acquainted with grief” (Is.53, 3). He speaks the words that no one else can say and which are poured like oil onto the wounds of our heart. He says to us, like to Martha: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (Jn.11, 25). The one, who you are mourning about, will rise again.

When hearing this divine voice, our sorrow becomes lighter, a ray of heavenly Light enlightens the fresh grave and our gloomy future, and we realize that by uniting with Christ we can not call our life cheerless.

(Translated by Tatiana Rozzell from “Every Day is a Gift from God. Diaries of an Orthodox Priest”(1905), author unknown)