Lecture 5
Lectio 5
Christ weeps over Lazarus
Christus de Lazaro plorat
11:28 And when she had said these things, she went, and called her sister Mary quietly, saying: the Master has come and calls for you. [n. 1522]
11:28 Et cum haec dixisset, abiit, et vocavit Mariam sororem suam silentio, dicens: Magister adest, et vocat te. [n. 1522]
11:29 As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and came to him. [n. 1525]
11:29 Illa, ut audivit, surrexit cito, et venit ad eum. [n. 1525]
11:30 For Jesus had not yet come into the town, but he was still in the place where Martha had met him. [n. 1526]
11:30 Nondum enim venerat Iesus in castellum, sed erat adhuc in illo loco, ubi occurrerat ei Martha. [n. 1526]
11:31 The Jews therefore, who were with her in the house and comforted her, when they saw that Mary rose quickly and went out, followed her, saying: she goes to the tomb to weep there. [n. 1527]
11:31 Iudaei ergo qui erant cum ea in domo, et consolabantur eam, cum vidissent Mariam, quia cito surrexit, et exiit, secuti sunt eam, dicentes: quia vadit ad monumentum ut ploret ibi. [n. 1527]
11:32 When Mary therefore came to where Jesus was, seeing him, she fell down at his feet, and said to him: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not be dead. [n. 1528]
11:32 Maria ergo cum venisset ubi erat Iesus, videns eum, cecidit ad pedes eius, et dixit ei: Domine, si fuisses hic, non esset mortuus frater meus. [n. 1528]
11:33 Jesus, therefore, when he saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, groaned in the spirit and troubled himself, [n. 1531]
11:33 Iesus ergo, ut vidit eam plorantem, et Iudaeos qui venerant cum ea plorantes, infremuit spiritu, et turbavit seipsum. [n. 1531]
11:34 And he said: where have you laid him? They said to him: Lord, come and see. [n. 1536]
11:34 Et dixit: ubi posuistis eum? Dicunt ei: Domine, veni, et vide. [n. 1536]
11:35 And Jesus wept. [n. 1537]
11:35 Et lacrymatus est Iesus. [n. 1537]
11:36 The Jews therefore said: behold how he loved him. [n. 1538]
11:36 Dixerunt ergo Iudaei: ecce quomodo amabat eum. [n. 1538]
11:37 But some of them said: could not he who opened the eyes of the man born blind, have kept this man from dying? [n. 1539]
11:37 Quidam autem ex ipsis dixerunt: non poterat hic, qui aperuit oculos caeci nati, facere ut hic non moreretur? [n. 1539]
1521. The Evangelist, after describing Martha, now describes Mary.
1521. Postquam Evangelista praemisit conditiones sororum quantum ad Martham, hic describit eas quantum ad Mariam, et
First, he mentions how she was called;
primo describit vocationem Mariae;
second, her meeting with Christ, at as soon as she heard this;
secundo occursum eius ad Christum, ibi illa, ut audivit;
and third, the devotion she showed him, at when Mary therefore came to where Jesus was . . . she fell down at his feet.
tertio eius devotionem, quam exhibuit Christo, ibi Maria ergo cum venisset ubi erat Iesus . . . cecidit ad pedes eius.
1522. Mary was called by Martha, who had been consoled and instructed by Christ, as she did not want her sister to miss such consolation. When she had said these things, the previous words, to the Lord, she went, and called her sister Mary quietly, saying: the Master has come and calls for you.
1522. Vocatur autem Maria per Martham, quae consolata et instructa per Christum, nolens sororem suam esse tantae consolationis expertem, cum dixisset verba praedicta cum Domino, abiit, statim et vocavit Mariam sororem suam silentio, dicens: Magister adest, et vocat te etc.
Whence two problems arise: first concerning what is meant by quietly: for quiet is nothing other than the privation of speech and sound. Nor would it be possible to call quietly.
Ubi quidem duo dubitanda occurrunt. Primo de hoc quod dicit silentio: nam silentium nihil aliud est quam privatio locutionis vel soni. Non ergo eam silentio vocare potuisset.
Augustine says that the Evangelist omitted this detail from his account for the sake of brevity, for perhaps our Lord did tell Martha to call her. She called her sister quietly: the words of the wise heard in quiet (Eccl 9:17). She did this because a number of Jews were with her sister, as has been said; and perhaps there were some among them who did not like Jesus, or would have left, or who, if they had heard what Martha said, would not have followed her.
Responsio. Dicendum, secundum Augustinum, quod silentium suppressam vocem nuncupavit, quasi dicat, vocavit eam submisse, secundum illud Eccle. IX, 17: verba sapientium audiuntur in silentio. Ideo autem eam silenter vocat, quia multitudo Iudaeorum erat cum ea, ut dictum est, et forte erant inter eos aliqui qui non diligerent Christum, qui vel recederent, vel, hoc audito, Mariam non sequerentur.
As for the mystical sense, we may understand that one more efficaciously calls upon Christ in quiet or in private: in quietness and in trust will be your strength (Isa 30:15).
Mystice autem per hoc datur intelligi quod ad Christum quis vocat exteriore voce tantum, sed efficacius silenter; unde dicitur Is. XXX, v. 15: in silentio et spe erit fortitudo vestra.
1523. There is a problem about her saying, the Master has come and calls for you. This seems to be false, because our Lord did not tell Martha to call Mary.
1523. Secundo dubitatur de hoc quod dicit Magister adest, et vocat te. Videtur falsum dixisse: non enim dixit Dominus Marthae quod vocaret Mariam.
I respond. Augustine says, that the Evangelist gives the cause of brevity to understand what is missing in his own narrative: for perhaps the Lord had said to Martha to call her. However, others say that Martha considered the very presence of Christ as a call. Martha was thinking: if he is here, it would be inexcusable for one not to go to meet him.
Responsio. Dicit Augustinus, quod Evangelista causa brevitatis dat intelligere quod in sua narratione intermiserat: nam forte Dominus dixit Marthae quod eam vocaret. Alii autem dicunt, quod Martha ipsam praesentiam vocationem reputavit; quasi diceret: inexcusabile est ut eo praesente tu non exeas obviam ipsi.
1524. Next, at as soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and came to him, the Evangelist describes Mary going to meet Christ.
1524. Consequenter cum dicit illa, ut audivit, surrexit cito, et venit ad eum, ponitur occursus Mariae.
He does three things about this:
Et circa hoc duo facit.
first, he mentions her promptness;
Primo ponitur promptitudo Mariae ad occurrendum;
second, the place where she meets Christ, at for Jesus had not yet come into the town;
secundo locus in quo ei occurrit, ibi nondum enim venerat Iesus in castellum;
and third those who came with her, at the Jews therefore, who were with her in the house . . . followed her.
tertio comitiva quae eam sequitur, ibi Iudaei ergo qui erant cum ea in domo . . . secuti sunt eam.
1525. Mary went to Christ promptly, not delaying on account of her sorrow, or hesitating because of those who were with her. But as soon as she heard this, she rose quickly from the house where she was and came to him, Jesus. It is clear from this that Martha would not have arrived before Mary if Mary had been immediately told of Jesus’ coming.
1525. Promptitudo autem Mariae ad occurrendum describitur, quia non distulit propter luctum, non tardavit propter astantes, sed statim ut audivit, surrexit cito, de domo in qua erat, et venit ad eum, scilicet Iesum. Ex quo patet quod non illam praevenisset Martha, si ei a principio notus fuisset adventus Iesu.
Further, this furnishes us with the example that we are not to delay when called to Christ: do not delay to turn to the Lord, nor postpone it from day to day (Sir 5:7); I will hear him as a teacher (Isa 50:4).
Datur etiam per hoc nobis exemplum non tardandi, cum vocamur ad Christum. Eccli. c. V, 8: ne tardes converti ad Dominum, et ne differas de die in diem; Is. l, 4: audiam eum quasi magistrum.
1526. Mary meets Christ at the same place where Martha had spoken to him, at for Jesus had not yet come into the town, but he was still in the place where Martha had met him. The Evangelist mentions this so that we do not think that Mary’s trip was unnecessary, for Christ could have reached her village just as quickly as Martha did. But Christ remained where he was so as not to appear to be thrusting himself into a miracle. Yet once he is asked and prompted, he does perform a miracle, once they realize that Lazarus is dead, and so the miracle cannot be denied.
1526. Locus autem ubi Maria Christo occurrit, est idem ille ubi Martha cum Christo locuta fuerat; unde dicit nondum enim venerat Iesus in castellum, sed erat adhuc in illo loco ubi occurrerat ei Martha; quod ideo ponit Evangelista, ne credatur superfluus occursus Mariae, cum Christus potuerit adeo cito in castellum venire sicut et Martha. Ideo autem Christus in illo loco remansit, ut non videatur seipsum ingerere miraculo; sed dum rogatus et inductus miraculum operatur, confiteantur ipsum mortuum esse, et miraculum nullam calumniam patiatur.
We can also understand from this that when we wish to have the advantage of Christ we should go to meet him, and not wait until he accommodates himself to us; rather, we should accommodate ourselves to him: they will turn to you, but you will not turn to them (Jer 15:19).
Datur etiam per hoc intelligi, quod cum volumus Christo frui, eum venientem anticipemus, non expectantes quod ipse nobis condescendat: sed ut ipsi potius condescendamus ad eum; Ier. XV, 19: ipsi convertentur ad te, et tu non converteris ad eos.
1527. Those who followed Mary are described when the Evangelist says, the Jews therefore, who were with her in the house . . . followed her. The reason they followed her is given when he says, she goes to the tomb to weep there. They thought that her action was inspired by her grief, since they had not heard what Martha had said to her. This was a commendable thing for the Jews to do: do not cease consoling those who weep (Sir 7:34). Still, that they did follow Mary was an effect of divine providence, and it was, as Augustine says, so that with all these present when Lazarus was raised, this great miracle of raising one who had been dead for four days would have many witnesses.
1527. Comitiva autem quae sequitur Mariam, describitur cum dicit Iudaei ergo qui erant cum ea in domo . . . secuti sunt eam. Causam autem quare eam sequebatur ponit, dicens quia vadit ad monumentum ut ploret ibi. Credebant enim quod ex impetu doloris hoc faceret: non enim audierant verba quae Martha dixerat Mariae. In quo quidem Iudaei commendandi sunt, quia, ut dicitur Eccli. VII, 38, non desis plorantibus in consolationem. Nihilominus divina providentia factum est ut eam sequerentur, ut cum plures essent ibi cum Lazarus suscitatus est, tam grande miraculum quatriduani resurgentis testes plurimos inveniret, ut dicit Augustinus.
1528. Then when he says, when Mary therefore came to where Jesus was, seeing him, she fell down at his feet, we see Mary’s devotion to Jesus.
1528. Consequenter cum dicit Maria ergo cum venisset ubi erat Iesus, videns eum cecidit ad pedes eius, commendatur devotio Mariae ad Iesum, et
First, we see the devotion she showed by her actions and
primo devotio quam exhibuit facto;
second, the devotion she showed by her words, at Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not be dead.
secundo devotio quam exhibuit verbo, ibi Domine, si fuisses hic, non esset mortuus frater meus.
1529. In regard to the first, notice her security and humility.
1529. Circa primum nota in Maria securitatem et humilitatem.