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So just as Martha was able to say to Jesus, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world, I'm also coming to believe that God allows things to happen to me sometimes that are not only for me, but also can be for you, like a word that he can speak to you through me, as eyewitness to what Christ is doing in my life. I hope to offer you a way to see how he is working in your life. Like the way that Christ raises Lazarus from the dead. That he might speak a word to each of us through that, as Lazarus becomes a witness of what Christ is doing in his life. So, for example, when I share with you that on Friday morning I was dismissed by some contractors who found it beneath themselves to speak in detail with me about things happening here in the parish. Or how in the afternoon on Friday I was abandoned in conversation by a guy who was happy to talk to me until he learned that I was a Catholic priest. Or how in the evening on Friday I was treated poorly by a salesman who was dealing with me with a certain degree of hostility and an accusatory tone. I share that with you not just for your pity and not to be merely anecdotal or self referential, but because when I asked God why He would let that happen to me the way that we might have asked, why would you let Lazarus die? I look at the day and I see also that I had a friendship with me during the day that gave life to the whole day. So I had lunch planned with a friend from the parish here, a man who looks at me in such a way and listens to me in such a way where I feel very loved by him. And I asked if we could have lunch, because I call him like a resuscitating friend. He breathes life into me. His stories are inspiring. The way that he looks at the world helps me. He's like Christ for me in that way. Now he likes to have a priest friend too. And we talk about Jesus and the Gospels and life and relationships. And he is a good husband, he is a good father, he is a good friend, and he's a man among men. And he's capable of friendship with other men. And he breathes that confidence into me that I can be too. And. And God gave him to me at the very heart of that day, that Friday, where I would be disappointed by men in the morning, hurt by men in the day, even accused by men in the evening. This friendship that was around, this meal in the middle of the day gave life to the whole day. Now, when Jesus was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, his disciples reminded him that some of the Jews in that area were trying to put him to death. So it was a big risk. And we're even told that Bethany was just two miles away from Jerusalem. So a lot of the leaders in that area were trying to put Jesus to death, right? They wanted to have him crucified. But Jesus says to his disciples, are there not 12 hours in the day? And if one walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of the world. And that speaks to me, because this reference to 12 hours in the day and being able to see the light of the world so we don't stumble. It's like he's with us in the morning, he's with us in the afternoon, he's with us in the evening. And if we can see him, we will be able to keep living and not stumble. And he's saying to his disciples, I am with you, and if you can see me and if you keep your eyes on me, then no matter what happens to us when we go to Bethany, we're going to be okay. But see, what it requires of the disciples is their willingness to look at Christ, which is for a man to look at another man. Now, I find hope in the friendship between Lazarus and Christ because I believe that's a friendship that developed over time. And I would think also like those contractors or that guy I was talking to midday or the salesman in the evening. I bet with a little more time, there could be a little openness and then a lasting friendship. It just takes time. Especially with men who are initially guarded, initially defensive. As protectors and defenders and providers, we are initially almost combative with one another. But it is possible with time, for friendship to form. And I think Lazarus knew the company of Christ over the years. I think Christ probably stopped by that house in Bethany to visit Martha and Mary, as women are generally more open to friendship with spiritual men. And then Lazarus would have slowly opened his own heart to it and benefited from it and became a close friend of Christ, this extraordinary man. But it just takes time and openness. You know, the difference between envy and admiration. Envy. I will not look at you like the way Dante in his Inferno portrays those in hell who are dying the death of envy. He portrays them as having their eyes sewn shut, like eternally deprived of being able to behold God or their fellow man. You wouldn't look at man in life. You will not look at him in death, you wouldn't look at God in life. You will not look at him in death. But how admiration is willing to look at. Being willing to look at ad meaning to. And then mirare, like to look at admiration. To look at a man. To admire a man. And what are we promised if we're willing to look at Christ in this world? Well, the beatific vision of being able to see God and see our fellow man for all eternity. Lazarus is interesting because he has these two sisters that we know well, Martha and Mary, and their feminine receptivity, what we refer to sometimes because of John Paul II as the feminine genius. That is what man needs from Eve and what he receives from the Blessed Mother, but from any woman in his life who can teach him that posture of receptivity. And I was thinking about how Martha says, like, I have come to believe that you are the Son of God. So that expression means she's someone who gave Jesus time also. And in time comes to appreciate his friendship more and more. I think Lazarus benefited from Martha's giving Jesus that time. And then also Mary. We know she's always adoring the Lord, and she approaches him with this extraordinary openness and receptivity, even adoration. So Lazarus had in Martha and Mary both time and openness. And that's what it takes for men to become friends with other men. Time and openness. Maybe I can read to you what I wrote for the Bulletin this week. It's actually about Vincent van Gogh. And the reason I wrote about him is because, like Lazarus, who benefited from his sibling intercession of Martha and Mary and then also had Jesus as a friend who was another man. Van Gogh benefited from his brother Theo. His brother Theo was the resuscitating friendship in his life. So he's a brother that's a sibling, obviously. And he was a man like the two relationships that Lazarus benefited most from. So here's what I wrote in the Bulletin this week. I was in Amsterdam with a friend back in 1996, and the highlight of that trip for me was visiting the Van Gogh Museum. It displays the world's largest collection of his artwork. One particular painting that struck me was Vincent's the Raising of Lazarus. So he painted this painting in 1890 while in an asylum in France after completing a very popular Starry Night. And the Raising of Lazarus is based on an etching from Rembrandt made a couple hundred years earlier. So Vincent took a section of that etching and enlarged it. This painting is of Lazarus with his sisters Martha and Mary. There, and in the background, just above the horizon, there's a brilliant sun. And the light of that son is almost lifting Lazarus up out of the tomb. So that's what strikes me about this painting. Vincent's life was a series of spiritual resuscitations, each resembling the raising of Lazarus. Because while Vincent died many times, the Lord raised him up just as often through the intercession of his brother Theo, who would die just six months after Vincent at age 33. Just wanted to mention too, I think our Lord and Theo are represented in that sun, because the light of Christ was coming into Vincent's life through his brother. His brother's name, Theodore, whose name means the gift of God. Which reminds us of the way Jesus said to the woman at the well, if you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for water, you would ask him for water if you knew the gift of God. Vincent knew our Lord, the gift of God in his brother Theo. The brother, a sibling, and through the men. And that's what Lazarus benefited from. Right? So the feminine openness and then the time enable men to become friends, I think. So I just ended this by saying that I'm of the mind that Vincent did not commit suicide as people have claimed over the years. I think his life was taken by a 16 year old boy who was known to be unwell and who had been with some other boys, antagonizing Vincent in the fields. And I would say piously that they antagonized him for painting the light that others could not see. It's the reason why they put Jesus to death, because he claimed to be able to see things that we could not see. His envy, it's envy. I mean, Vincent was rejected by other artists of his time. He only became popular, his paintings only desirable after his death. But during life it was rejection, accusation, even being met with hostility. He suffered a lot, you know, Vincent, but he had that friendship with him, his brother resuscitating him all along the way. That's why I do not think he despaired of life. I do not think he killed himself. I think he had Theo always there to breathe new life into him, which filled, I think, Vincent's heart with confidence of the resurrection to come, life after death. So much so that Vincent's final request, really some of his last words, were that we would not accuse or condemn anyone for doing this to him. It's like Jesus on the cross. Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do. Then I just sort of make our way toward the Runway here and begin Our initial descent prayer can be perhaps thought of as time and openness, just as Lazarus gave Jesus time and openness. That's all. That's all God's asking of us, to be with him, spend some time with him, and be open to him. Just as I asked my friend for lunch on Friday, he took a couple hours away from work, which was just giving me his time and his openness to, you know, my life and what the Lord is doing in my life. And that's all. That's it. It's very simple. And I receive a lot of life from that. I feel a lot of love in that, and I receive a lot of strength in that. And to think that Christ is asking that of us. Just your time and your openness. You know, so many times I go into the chapel here, and I'm like, I don't know if I could do this really well. I'm a little distracted. I'm very tired. He's like, hey, hey, I'm just looking for your company, you know, just a little time. And your openness to me, like, oh, I can offer you that. I can offer you that. To think that he received something from us in this friendship, too. It's amazing. And then just lastly, you know, next week is Palm Sunday. So that's Jesus entering into Jerusalem, and this is it. This leads to his passion and death on the cross before the resurrection. And in between this weekend and next weekend, Palm Sunday is this feast of the Annunciation. And what is that but it's Mary's yes. And what is Mary's yes? It is openness to God's will and a yes that makes Christ's own yes on the cross possible. So just as Lazarus benefited from Martha and Mary and their openness to. To God in their own lives, Jesus himself, too, is possible because of the woman who said yes. So Mary is worthy of the honor that we offer to her and the praise and the thanksgiving that we sing on her feast day of the Annunciation. And I'll end by just sharing with you that when I was younger, my parents did teach me and my sister how to pray. So they taught us our prayers and took us to church. But I have so many memories of going to bed at night when I was very little and still learning the Our Father and the Hail Mary. When my parents would say across the hallway, they'd say, say your prayers, guys. Before you go to bed, say your prayers. And my sister, who was in the next room, she would say, our Father. And I would go, our Father. She'd go, who art in heaven? And I said, who art in heaven? She go, hallowed be thy name. Hallowed be thy name. A lot of memories of that. So I feel blessed that I also. I learned how to pray from my sister. You know, she. She was someone I've always looked up to. I still. Still do really admire her, you know, her own extraordinary strength and resilience before life and her hopefulness, you know, it's something I still learn from even now. So I benefit, you know, even as a priest. Right. You know, I benefit from these women in my life that I look to my mother especially, and my sister as well, too. I've been blessed, even as Lazarus was, with a good sister. And I think she's helped me more than she knows to open my own heart to Christ and his friendship. So, as always, wish you a peaceful and prayerful week. And if I don't see you on the Feast of the Annunciation at the morning Mass, I will see you next weekend, Palm Sunday.