speciale vents - St. Gregorios Church

LAZARUS SATURDAY
All Orthodox Churches celebrate the Raising of
Lazarus on the eve of Palm Sunday, prior to the
start of the Holy Week that leads to the Death
and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The
reading for the day includes the shortest verse in
the Holy Bible—”Jesus wept” (John 11:35).
Lazarus dies, Jesus wept and then Jesus raised
Lazarus from the dead. What a powerful
reminder for the reason of the events of Holy
Week—man was dead (The Fall in Genesis), God
wept and then God raised man from the dead
(through Christ’s Resurrection). In this icon,
Christ stands as the Lord of Life and Death,
reaching out His hand to call His friend from the
dead. Lazarus stands upright, awakened while
his sisters are at His feet. People look on, some
covering their noses to show that Lazarus truly
had been dead. Our Lord teaches, “I am the
resurrection and the life. The one who believes in
me will live, even though they die; and whoever
lives by believing in me will never die.” (John
11:25-26)
26)