Saturday 5th week of Lent
"Jn 11:45-56"
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him; but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council, and said, "What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on thus, everyone will believe in him."
When someone doesn't want to believe, he won't believe, in spite of all the miracles he might see. The previous verses of St John explain the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead after being buried for four days in his tomb. Many Jews were there and saw the miracle. As a matter of fact, the miracle couldn't be denied. Therefore, the Gospel says, many people "believed in him." However, some of those who saw the miracle went to inform the Pharisees, who decided to kill Jesus for performing miracles!!! Can you believe it?
This explains the Gospel a few verses later, "the chief priests planned to put Lazarus also to death, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus." So that was it: they were losing people who were following Jesus now. They were ready to kill Jesus, Lazarus and anyone else they needed to kill in order to stop people from believing in Jesus. They did kill Jesus - and after Him they killed many of His followers, beginning with St Stephen. But the more people they killed, the more Christians converted. The truth can't be killed. Like a grain of wheat, it grows and gives fruit when it is dead and buried.
Tomorrow we start Holy Week, a week of intense prayer to be spent with Him. Jesus won't die on the Cross alone this time; you and I will be there. "My Lord and my God, under the loving eyes of our Mother, we are making ready to accompany you along this path of sorrow, which was the price for our redemption. We wish to suffer all that You suffered, to offer you our poor, contrite hearts, because you are innocent, and yet you are going to die for us, who are the only really guilty ones. My Mother, Virgin of sorrows, help me to relive those bitter hours which your Son wished to spend on earth" (St JosemarÃa.)
