‘Lazarus, come out!’ This is the title of the new book by Jesuit James Martin, which, with a preface by Pope Francis, has been published by the Libreria Editrice Vaticana. “We must be very grateful to Father James Martin, whose other writings I also know and appreciatefor this new book of his dedicated to what he calls ‘the greatest miracle of Jesus’: the story of the resurrection of Lazarus,” the Pope begins in his words.
A text, says Francisco, in which one glimpses “the look of someone who is in love with what the Word of God is, the story of the acts of the Son of God, Jesus.” “Reading all the arguments and examinations of biblical scholars that Father Martin relates has made me question the extent to which we are capable of approaching Scripture with the ‘hunger’ of someone who knows that this word is truly and effectively the Word of God.” , recognizes the Pope.
Furthermore, he emphasizes that in the pages of this book “we see a truth of Christianity that is always current and fruitful: the Gospel is eternal and concrete, it concerns both our interior life and history and daily life. “Jesus not only spoke of eternal life, he gave it.”
To infinity
Lazarus, Francis says, “is all of us.” “Father Martin, in this aspect adhered to the Ignatian tradition, makes us identify with the story of this friend of Jesus.” “Jesus is not afraid to approach the sinner, any sinner, even the most fearless and brazen. He only has one concern: that no one gets lost, that no one misses the opportunity to feel the loving embrace of his Father,” he explains.
“We are a semiline, to use a geometric image: we have a starting point, our human birth, but our life is dedicated to the infinite. Yes, to infinity. And what Scripture calls ‘eternal life’ is that life that awaits us after death and that we can already touch here when we live it not in the selfishness that saddens us, but in the love that expands our hearts,” Francis asserts. “We are made for eternity. Lazarus, thanks to these pages of Father Martin, is our friend. And his resurrection reminds us and testifies to it.”
