Orthodox Church celebrates Lazarus Saturday

The Raising of Lazarus. Photo: tatmitropolia

Orthodox Christians mark Lazarus Saturday – one of the most significant observances of the Lenten season. The day is dedicated to the remembrance of Christ’s raising of the righteous Lazarus, a resident of Bethany and the brother of Martha and Mary.

The account of Lazarus’ resurrection is described in detail in Chapter 11 of the Gospel of John. When Lazarus fell ill, his sisters sent word to Jesus. However, the Savior deliberately delayed for two days and arrived in Bethany only after Lazarus had died.

Approaching the tomb, Jesus instructed that the stone be rolled away, despite Martha’s warning that the body had already begun to decay. After a brief prayer to the Heavenly Father, the Lord cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” The dead man emerged, his hands and feet bound with burial cloths and his face wrapped in a cloth.

This great miracle, performed before many Jews who had come to comfort the sisters, became one of the clearest testimonies to Christ’s divine nature and His authority over death. Many who witnessed it came to believe in Him. The event took place shortly before the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem and His Passion.

According to Church tradition, after being raised from the dead, the righteous Lazarus lived for about 30 more years. He was forced to leave Judea due to persecution by those who sought to kill him as a living witness to Christ’s power. Lazarus later arrived on the island of Cyprus, where he was ordained by the apostles as the bishop of Kition (modern-day Larnaca). There he preached the Gospel and faithfully shepherded his flock until the end of his life.

The relics of Saint Lazarus are today kept in the city of Larnaca in Cyprus, in a church dedicated to him. In the 9th century, part of his relics was transferred to Constantinople and later to France. The Church also commemorates Saint Lazarus on October 17 (30).

Lazarus Saturday, followed by Palm Sunday, precedes Holy Week – the final week before Pascha, which this year falls on April 12.

Theologians note that the raising of Lazarus serves as a foreshadowing of the general resurrection of the dead and vividly demonstrates that, with Christ, even death itself can be overcome.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that a UOC community in Brussels celebrated the patronal feast of the Synaxis of the Kyiv Pechersk Saints.

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