Lazarus Come Out
Holy week is only one week away. It is important that we not only persevere in the Lenten proposals that we made on Ash Wednesday, we should also begin to intensify our spiritual practices so that the change that we are seeking will really take place. This Sunday’s liturgy provides profound spirituality and motivation that will help us deepen our efforts.
Because of the climate of the Holy Land, burial followed death as quickly as possible. By the time Jesus walked the earth, the Jewish funeral rite had become corrupted. The funeral had become exceedingly costly. The finest spices and ointments were used to anoint the body. The body was clothed in the most magnificent robes and all kinds of valuables were buried in the tomb along with the body. Naturally, no one wished to be outdone by his neighbor. A funeral had become an intolerable burden that no one wanted to change, until the famous Rabbi Gamaliel, mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, ordered that he was to be buried in the simplest possible linen robe and thus broke the extravagance of funeral customs... (Continued here.)
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