Archbishop Dolan's Thought for the Week

March 11, 2008

Dear Friends united in love and service of Jesus Christ and His Church: 

Sunday’s gospel, the powerful episode of Jesus raising His friend Lazarus from the dead, is still ringing in my ears.

It is so clear from this stirring gospel that Jesus is a true man. The humanity of Jesus is so evident. Our Lord had good friends, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus among them; He enjoyed their company and hospitality at their little home in Bethany; and He was overcome with emotion and sadness when Lazarus died. Jesus cried.

As Pope Benedict often remarks, “We have a God with a human face.” Yes, our God, Jesus Christ, had good friends, enjoyed a good meal and hospitality, and cried when His friend died.

Jesus Christ is true man.

It is also dramatically clear that Jesus is true God. The divinity of Jesus is so evident in this passage. He can raise the dead. He is Lord of the living and the dead. He is the “resurrection and the life.”

Jesus Christ is true God.

This God-man is in the business of transformation, renewal, change. Always. . . Last Sunday, He transformed an occasion of death into a miracle of life. He does this a lot.

He changes:

water into wine
sin into grace
bondage into freedom
hate into love
sickness into health
doubt into faith
despair into hope
snow into sun
winter into spring (I wish he’d hurry up!)

Soon He’ll transform Good Friday into Easter Sunday.

We paraphrase Mary of Bethany from last Sunday, “Lord, when you’re around, none of us dies.”

Or, as we pray in the Divine Praises, “Blessed by Jesus Christ, true God and true man!” 

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan

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