About Saint Lazarus

The text below is not a lesson

but a document on St. Lazarus that I made

to touch on a child's worry and how 

to deal with this in possible pedagogical situations.

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I had heard of a child being scared by being told that St. Lazarus never smiled after being raised by Christ because he had been in hell.  While I knew it was true that Saint Lazarus indeed did not smile again, save once, I was worried that this was not the best way for a child to be introduced to St. Lazarus.  Yet, I also knew that I better research more to know what the churches’ teaching on St. Lazarus is.  In the end I saw that while St. Lazarus did not smile, because of what he saw in hades, a balanced understanding of this with the full weight of Christ's miracle of raising Lazarus on Lazarus Saturday is needed.

The research I was able to do and my findings are as follows:

1. There is multiple mentions of St. Lazarus never smiling again after he was raised, other than when he saw a man stealing a clay pot and St. Lazarus said with a smile, “clay stealing clay”.

2. On Fr. Demetrios Serfes’ website there is mention of Lazarus and hades:

“Saint Lazarus' stay in Larnaca is connected with various tradition. According to one of these, during the thirty years he lived after his resurrection, he never smiled except on one occasion, when he saw someone stealing a pot, when he smilingly said: "the clay steals the clay." He was worried at the sight of the unredeemed souls he had seen during his for day stay in Hades (the redeeming sacrifice of Christ on the cross has not yet taken place nor had his resurrection, which saved man from sin and eternal condemnation).” http://www.serfes.org/lives/stlazarus.htm (my emphasis).

This website of Fr. D.S.’s has many stories about St. Lazarus that you can read here:. http://www.serfes.org/lives/stlazarus.htm

3. Also on Mystagogy there is further mention of St. Lazarus not smiling because of what he saw while being in the ‘underworld’: http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2012/04/saint-lazarus-in-orthodox-tradition.html  

4. Fr. Stephen Freeman writes (emphasis mine):  

There is an ancient story told about Lazarus in his years following his being raised. It was said that he never smiled – such was the sobering effect of what he had seen in Hades. However, it is said that he laughed – once. A man was angry and smashed a pot. Lazarus laughed and said, “The clay smashes the clay.”

Lazarus was not in love with our life as clay. He knew the Resurrection and longed for a true and final victory. His first encounter with Hades, the fact of his being raised when he had been four-days-dead, is not the victory itself – but the foreshadowing of something far greater which is to come. Lazarus Saturday reminds us of a greater Saturday and of a dawn that shatters all dawns.

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (1Jo 3:2) http://www.pravmir.com/strange-case-lazarus/#ixzz3VWcMP4Ib

5. Many records show that St. Lazarus became a Bishop (see both links above on this). Also see here: http://oca.org/saints/lives/2012/10/17/102991-translation-of-the-relics-of-st-lazarus-ldquoof-the-four-days-in

6. There are 3 dates for him in the church calendar:
1. March 17 (according to the prologue of ohrid)
2. Lazarus Saturday
3. October 17 when his relics were transferred to Constantinople from Cyprus:

….“the translation of his relics from the island of Cyprus to Constantinople. This occurred when Emperor Leo the Wise built the Church of St. Lazarus in Constantinople, and translated Lazarus's relics there in the year 890. When, after almost a thousand years, Lazarus's grave in the town of Kition on Cyprus was unearthed, a marble tablet was found with the inscription: "Lazarus of the Four Days, the friend of Christ.''

http://www.westsrbdio.org/en/prologue/665-october-17  See also:  “The Transfer of the relics of Righteous Lazarus of the Four Days, Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus, took place in the ninth century. ….... After his raising, St Lazarus lived another thirty years as a bishop on the island of Cyprus, where he spread Christianity and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord.The holy relics of St Lazarus were discovered in Kiteia. They were within a marble coffin, upon which was inscribed: “Lazarus of the Four-Days, the friend of Christ.” The Byzantine emperor Leo the Wise (886-911) gave orders to transfer the relics of St Lazarus to Constantinople in the year 898 and place them within the church of the Righteous Lazarus.” http://oca.org/saints/lives/2012/10/17/102991-translation-of-the-relics-of-st-lazarus-ldquoof-the-four-days-in

7. When I look at the quickly accessible teachings on St. Lazarus for Lazarus Saturday I saw a great deal about the Resurrection.  http://lent.goarch.org/saturday_of_lazarus/learn/

8. The children’s book, Lent! Wonderful Lent!, also shows a most worthy way of introducing St. Lazarus to children.   The last pages of this book are about St. Lazarus and Palm Sunday.  You will see from this book what great movement there is on this holy weekend, a great excitement about how Christ raised Lazarus from the dead, so prefiguring Christ’s own 3 day resurrection on Great and Holy Pascha.

9. Molly Sabourin words also give us some words to ponder on this subject:

“What I'm particularly drawn to currently is the events preceding Lazarus' resurrection. I am captivated by Jesus' own emotional reaction to the anguish of Mary and Martha, so convinced by that point all was lost - so heart wrenchingly unsalvageable. Jesus knew that in the end, life would reign, joy would outweigh the sorrow, and yet he grieved before performing that great miracle of miracles. He grieved for his beloved friend decaying in the tomb. And He grieved for us, I'd like to think, all of humanity who must endure great trials, loss, abuse, injustice, as a result of our free will and fallenness - for us who, while on this earth, must fight hard and ceaselessly to believe in what cannot be seen, in a divine compassion we cannot fathom.” http://www.antiochian.org/node/25669

10. Even more, Lazarus Saturday is a deep and joyful celebration (emphasis below is mine):

Lazarus Saturday is a paschal celebration. It is the only time in the entire Church Year that the resurrectional service of Sunday is celebrated on another day. At the liturgy of Lazarus Saturday, the Church glorifies Christ as “the Resurrection and the Life” who, by raising Lazarus, has confirmed the universal resurrection of mankind even before his own suffering and death.

By raising Lazarus from the dead before Thy passion, Thou didst confirm the universal resurrection, O Christ God! Like the children with the branches of victory, we cry out to Thee, O Vanquisher of Death: Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord! (Troparion).

Christ —the Joy, the Truth and the Light of All, the Life of the world and its Resurrection—has appeared in his goodness to those on earth. He has become the Image of our Resurrection, granting divine forgiveness to all (Kontakion).

http://oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-church-year/lazarus-saturday-and-palm-sunday

11. So, while it is important to understand that Saint Lazarus was so impacted by his days after his first death, and indeed he did not smile again save once, this Saint must be understood for being one who is called “A friend of Christ” and that the miracle of Christ raising him from the dead prefigures Christ’s 3 day resurrection.  Additionally, as it says on Fr. Demetrios’ website, St. Lazarus was concerned for those who were yet unredeemed in Hades.  It must be remembered that the Orthodox church also teaches that St. John the Baptist had already told these souls of Christ and Christ’s future triumph. Thus we must not fear hell when hearing that Saint Lazarus never smiled again; his experience goes beyond ours; instead fear God whose Son raised Lazarus .  St. Lazarus’ death and resurrection shows the promise of Christ coming and redeeming those in Hades.  Indeed, the Paschal icon of Christ’s resurrection shows Him doing just this:

As the Cross of Christ and His Passion is never to be separated from His Resurrection, I would say that an emphasis on St. Lazarus that causes irrational fear of hell is out of place.  An understanding that we will all face the judgement of God and that we need Christ to help us repent and save us is paramount.  But it must be balanced.  Just as we are advised to keep in perfect balance the two truths of: God’s love and our sinfulness, so understanding St. Lazarus must include his story and seriousness while showing that Christ’s miracle (and thus Lazarus Saturday) is full of the promise of redemption of mankind from hades by Christ’s Resurrection.

{Side note: For older kids, an example of this balance can be found in Holy Week when St. Peter denies Christ three times and weeps, repenting and is later restored by Christ and Judas whose avarice controlled him and after he realized his mistake instead of weeping tears of repentance, choses despair and hangs himself, without repentance or redemption. Repentance and godly sorrow leads to life while despairing of God’s mercy and not repenting leads to death}.  

For children, the traditions, crafts and baking that wrote about here are quite helpful.

One of my favourite songs about Saint Lazarus, it is the song Rejoice O Bethany! and this song here (lyrics here) shows the joy, the hope and beauty that our faith in Christ holds.  I have listened to this song many times, how can we not rejoice for He is alive, He is the Life!