Lectio 5
Lecture 5
Christus de Lazaro plorat
Christ weeps over Lazarus
11:28 Et cum haec dixisset, abiit, et vocavit Mariam sororem suam silentio, dicens: Magister adest, et vocat te. [n. 1522]
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]
11:29 Illa, ut audivit, surrexit cito, et venit ad eum. [n. 1525]
11:29 As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and came to him. [n. 1525]
11:30 Nondum enim venerat Iesus in castellum, sed erat adhuc in illo loco, ubi occurrerat ei Martha. [n. 1526]
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]
11:31 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]
11:31 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]
11:32 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]
11:32 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]
11:33 Iesus ergo, ut vidit eam plorantem, et Iudaeos qui venerant cum ea plorantes, infremuit spiritu, et turbavit seipsum. [n. 1531]
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]
11:34 Et dixit: ubi posuistis eum? Dicunt ei: Domine, veni, et vide. [n. 1536]
11:34 And he said: where have you laid him? They said to him: Lord, come and see. [n. 1536]
11:35 Et lacrymatus est Iesus. [n. 1537]
11:35 And Jesus wept. [n. 1537]
11:36 Dixerunt ergo Iudaei: ecce quomodo amabat eum. [n. 1538]
11:36 The Jews therefore said: behold how he loved him. [n. 1538]
11:37 Quidam autem ex ipsis dixerunt: non poterat hic, qui aperuit oculos caeci nati, facere ut hic non moreretur? [n. 1539]
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]
1521. Postquam Evangelista praemisit conditiones sororum quantum ad Martham, hic describit eas quantum ad Mariam, et
1521. The Evangelist, after describing Martha, now describes Mary.
primo describit vocationem Mariae;
First, he mentions how she was called;
secundo occursum eius ad Christum, ibi illa, ut audivit;
second, her meeting with Christ, at as soon as she heard this;
tertio eius devotionem, quam exhibuit Christo, ibi Maria ergo cum venisset ubi erat Iesus . . . cecidit ad pedes eius.
and third, the devotion she showed him, at when Mary therefore came to where Jesus was . . . she fell down at his feet.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
1523. Secundo dubitatur de hoc quod dicit Magister adest, et vocat te. Videtur falsum dixisse: non enim dixit Dominus Marthae quod vocaret Mariam.
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.
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.
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.
1524. Consequenter cum dicit illa, ut audivit, surrexit cito, et venit ad eum, ponitur occursus Mariae.
1524. Next, at as soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and came to him, the Evangelist describes Mary going to meet Christ.
Et circa hoc duo facit.
He does three things about this:
Primo ponitur promptitudo Mariae ad occurrendum;
first, he mentions her promptness;
secundo locus in quo ei occurrit, ibi nondum enim venerat Iesus in castellum;
second, the place where she meets Christ, at for Jesus had not yet come into the town;
tertio comitiva quae eam sequitur, ibi Iudaei ergo qui erant cum ea in domo . . . secuti sunt eam.
and third those who came with her, at the Jews therefore, who were with her in the house . . . followed her.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
1528. Consequenter cum dicit Maria ergo cum venisset ubi erat Iesus, videns eum cecidit ad pedes eius, commendatur devotio Mariae ad Iesum, et
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.
primo devotio quam exhibuit facto;
First, we see the devotion she showed by her actions and
secundo devotio quam exhibuit verbo, ibi Domine, si fuisses hic, non esset mortuus frater meus.
second, the devotion she showed by her words, at Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not be dead.
1529. Circa primum nota in Maria securitatem et humilitatem.
1529. In regard to the first, notice her security and humility.