Fifth Sunday of Lent

a spec of dust and whole Earth

not close time of life and eternal life

even next to whole universe

perspective is naive

womb versus birth to real life

Think little child

bad

time out 5 minutes 5 year prison sentence

bruise from falling amputation

bed early is like dying early

good parent long term not short

wouldnt let slightest unnecessary pain can stop

but allow small suffering for grow up

So with God,

house of time

but diff btwn child and adult is far closer than us and God

Diff

unless see the infinite causal chain of all things, no way of telling if any evil we suffer is better or worse for us in eternity

much less cookie before dinner

choose to trust God or not, but no reason not to

“Now Jesus Loved... So when heard he was ill, he Rushed to… NO stayed two days longer”

“Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there”

literally lets his beloved friend rot..because he loves him

the abandoned should know best loved most

How?

A reason:

many many possible solutions to some of the evil (suffering in this life)

obvious ones that do away with any possible logical problem of evil, free will, etc, but still doesnt tell us why

finite things without suffering

whenever we give something to another we lose it

like gift

greater the more loss

torture and death

next life only sacrifice love can offer God is Christ and what we did in this very brief time

his outdo ours, but hope our lives offered SOMETHING to the Good.

imagine life no worth, no sacrifice, no love

every unjust we bear is a chance for faith and love

Heroism

most interesting and boring comic?

superman no weakness, no struggle, no suffering

book where heroes face obstacles, or where never a challenge ever, no evil to overcome?

why want your life to be different?

Bleaker and more pointless and more spiritual the greater the heroism (spirit over body

tales that have some darkness so light shines brighter in it

the archotype, hero of heroes is the Christ, and all the best tales follow from than structure

Whatever the reason for evil

allows it for a greater good

glad that Lazarus died

but doesnt mean did not suffer for him

‘Jesus wept’ and seemed to act, before and after, with utter fury, shaking with anger (as the Greek suggests) at either the frustrating lack of faith or the idea of Lazarus having to suffer death

good parent sympathizes with a little kid

crying over boo boo, or

horror over tiny punishment blowing something little way out of proportion

they sympathize

real pain, even if the experience will make the kid better

so does the God Man, showing tears, even knowing it will be alright

wishing to xp worst of it so its more than just logical true words of our situation

but leads by xample

spec of dust next all matter on earth is our earthly life time of the life to come

fear anticipates a future not governed by Our Father

So banish such fear by keeping in mind, less than naive babies, our immaturity and laughable short sightedness,

STILL not all tears are evil, Christ wept, but let us cry as if we knew no fear.

Notes

Me:

God delays remedy for a greater one

‘glad he died and I wasnt there’

Commentators

Pitre

‘b/c loved Lazarus and mary and martha, STAID 2 days longer’

last miracle b4 ressurection

freely takes up human weakness

suggested 11:33 says ‘troubled himself’

deliberately allowed affliction of spirit (neither brutal nor womanly)

Shows not all tears are evil, even knowing the resurrection

Aug: weeped for fact of death, not Lazarus in particular

anger

word certainly suggests a type of angry agitation

snort, harshly admonish RRRRRR! (think of mother with look at child about to do something told not to or aragorn kickign orc helmet)

suggests frustrated and shaking with fury

his weeping (Dakryo) not same word used by weeping of Mary and the Jews

Chrysostom: Christ rebuking/restraining his own human emotions

showing weep with decorum

Aug:, grunt and groan showing struggle to crush sin

soul near for 3 days, but 4th it goes for Jews

Signs:

stink from rot of corruption in earth

though called to life bound and beset by temptations so can’t live full life

veil over face that we not see clearly this life

life from baptism still highly bound