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LazarusSaturday
LazarusSaturdayLazarus andhis sistersMartha andMary, the
friendsof theLordJesus,
had
given
Him
hospitality
and
served
Him
many
times
(Luke
10:38
42;
John
12:23).TheywerefromBethany,avillageofJudea.Thisvillageissituatedinthe
easternpartsby the foothills of theMount ofOlives, about
twoRomanmiles
fromJerusalem.WhenLazaruswhosenameisaHellenizedformofEleazar,
which means God has helped became ill some days before the
saving
Passion,hissistershadthisreporttakentotheSaviour,WhowastheninGalilee.
Nonetheless,He tarriedyet twomoredaysuntilLazarusdied;
thenHesaid to
Hisdisciples,LetusgointoJudeathatImightawakemyfriendwhosleepeth.
Bythis,ofcourse,Hemeantthedeepsleepofdeath.OnarrivingatBethany,He
consoledthesistersofLazarus,whowasalreadyfourdaysdead.Jesusgroaned
inspirit
and
was
troubled
at
the
death
of
his
beloved
friend.
He
asked,Where
haveyelaidhisbody?andHeweptoverhim.WhenHedrewnightothetomb,
He commanded that they remove the stone, andHe lifted upHis
eyes, and
givingthankstoGodtheFather,Hecriedoutwithaloudvoice,Lazarus,come
forth.And he that hadbeendead fourdays came forth
immediately,bound
hand and footwith the grave clothes, andJesus said to those
standing there,
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LazarusSaturday
Loosehim,and lethimgo.This is the supernaturalwonderwroughtby
the
Saviourthatwecelebrateonthisday.
According toanancient tradition, it issaid thatLazaruswas
thirtyyears
oldwhentheLordraisedhim;thenhelivedanotherthirtyyearsonCyprusand
therereposedintheLord.Itisfurthermorerelatedthatafterhewasraisedfrom
thedead,heneverlaugheduntiltheendofhislife,butthatonceonly,whenhe
sawsomeonestealingaclayvessel,hesmiledandsaid,Claystealingclay.His
graveissituatedinthecityofKition,havingtheinscription:
Lazarusthefour
days dead and friend ofChrist. In 890 his sacred relicswere
transferred to
Constantinople by Emperor Leo the Wise, at which time
undoubtedly the
Emperor composed his stichera forVespers, Wishing tobehold the
tomb of
Lazarus
DismissalHymn.FirstToneN confirming the
commonResurrection,OChristGod,Thoudidst raiseup
Lazarus from the dead before Thy Passion. Wherefore, we also,
like the
children, bearing symbols of victory, cry to Thee, the
Vanquisher of death:
Hosannainthehighest;blessedisHethatcomethintheNameoftheLord.
I
Kontakion.SecondToneThousoughtesttheheights
O
those
on
earth,
*
the
Joy
of
all,
Christ
God,
the
Truth,
*
the
Light
and
Life,
*
theResurrectionof
theworld,*inHisgoodnesshathnowappearedandis
becomethetruearchetype*oftheResurrectionofall,*bestowingforgivenesson
allmen.
T
Text:TheGreatHorologionTheHolyTransfigurationMonasteryBrookline,Massachusetts02445IconscourtesyTheHolyTransfigurationMonasteryBrookline,Massachusetts02445
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LazarusSaturday
Saint Lazarus the Four Days DeadAnd Friend of Christ
Together with his sisters,
Saint Mary and Saint Martha
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