Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. So the sisters sent word to him saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” (Jn 11:1-45)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032623.cfm
Three times in this powerful chapter the Fourth Gospel tells us that Lazarus is loved by Jesus. Could Lazarus be the Beloved Disciple? Well, it just might explain some fascinating details in this Fourth Gospel. And it certainly tells us how important love is in the Fourth Gospel Community that has gathered around the Beloved Disciple. Perhaps for all of us Beloved Disciples, the home at Bethany, the home of Martha and Mary and Lazarus, is the model for all Christian communities. Communities bases not just on apostolic power, but on apostolic power tempered by love.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Sunday V, Lent
