NASA How long did Lazarus need before he heard and recognized the command of his God to get up and embrace life once again? Thinking of accounts of those who claim to have had experiences of death and then a return to life, I wonder if Lazarus wanted to come back.
As I sit with the image, I begin to see that small black silhouette of Jesus and know he is calling to me. Calling to me in my dark places, places that need the redeeming touch of Grace. Do I hear? How long has he been calling my name? Do I want to come out or am I comfortable with the habits, feelings, and situations that keep me bound up, unable to live life fully as I am made to do? Sometimes, our darkness offers the comfort of familiarity. It is our darkness after all, and we may feel some sense of control by our freedom to choose to stay in its grip.
Jesus called. But Lazarus had to decide to get up and walk out.
Before voicing his command, Jesus prayed: And Jesus raised his eyes and said, Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me
When entombed in my personal fears and darkness, do I believe that God is always hearing me? Like matter trapped in a black hole, are my calls for help frozen to stillness when they come out of my mouth? Or do they make it to Gods ear?
Sundays reading tells me Yes. Yes, God is always hearing me. Yes, God stands at the boundary of life and death, both physical death and the many deaths we experience along our journeys. Yes, Jesus calls to me, and his voice carries with it the power to respond.
Sometimes, Jesus voice comes through other human vocal chords: friends, family, counselors, and doctors. Sometimes we hear it in music or sounds of nature. It is always the sound of hope. Responding is not easy. Lazarus must have struggled to make it out the tomb, but once he did, others were there to help remove the cloth binding him.
Lenten disciplines help us quiet the noise of life and hear the Voice calling us to new life.
© 2011 Mary van Balen
This is a portion of my April 10, 2011 column, “Grace In the Moment,” that appears in the Catholic Times. See Link of my home page to read full column.
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