sin of the world, so too this one, pointing out the coming day of the Lord, cried out, saying: Behold the mother of those who are to be reborn. Six days before the Passover. Hear the day; for 'Six days before the Passover' is not simply stated, but so that you may learn to purify yourself beforehand from every stain, that you may put an end to enmity, that you may cease from anger, that you may extinguish slander, that you may strengthen love and broaden your charity to the poor, so that you may not celebrate alone but the one in need may celebrate with you; for if you do not share with the one in need, you celebrate, but he is sullen. So that, therefore, what happened with the rich man and Lazarus may not happen to you, share with the one in need, do good to the one in want, so that you may always celebrate and he may feast with you. What then does the evangelist say? Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead. O the wisdom of the Lord. He raised Lazarus, to provoke the devil. Listen briefly. When the devil saw the Lord crying out, 'Lazarus, come forth,' and all things of the underworld being dissolved and the powers below not being able to hold him, as a royal command had been sent down, or rather, as a divine will was at work, and that immediately the hairs of Lazarus were rooted from above, the looseness of the sinews was tightened, the wasting of the flesh was filled out, the separation of the bones was joined together, the streams of ichor were restrained, the living spirit entered in, and the mistress soul took back its former, ancient dwelling, when he saw these things and things like them happening, being disturbed and becoming distressed, he commanded the powers under him, saying: Set yourselves in opposition, be strengthened, do not betray my kingdom. O what have I suffered? The power of death, which I acquired through sin, is being destroyed; the one whom I have held for four days, I now give up by force. I have fallen into a great misfortune; I have begun to vomit up those whom I swallowed. I weep not for Lazarus alone, I fear that I may also lose the others whom I hold from Adam until now. I have need of haste and much strength; if I do not first seize the one who despoils me by his word, he will show me to be empty of all my substance. I have found what I shall do, I know what I shall make; I have the Jews as accomplices, I hire Judas, he always serves me well. For being a lover of money, when a woman came, he valued the myrrh at three hundred denarii, causing her trouble; and he valued the myrrh at three hundred denarii, but he will sell the master of the myrrh for thirty denarii. Therefore I have great need of haste to prepare a cross; he took my Lazarus, I will drag him down here whole and number him with the dead, so that he may learn not to campaign against a greater one. That Lazarus rose from the dead provoked the devil to plan and say these things and things like them. Wherefore he also stirred up the Jews to greater envy so that they would minister to his counsel and prepare a cross for the Lord, that the curse might become a blessing and the wood of the cross salvation for all. For through the resurrection of Lazarus, the devil was troubled, the Pharisees were gathered, Martha was fully convinced, Mary was glorified, the resurrection was prefigured, the disciples became stronger, and many of the Jews who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ met him with branches and palm leaves, crying out and saying: Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου, οὕτω καὶ αὕτη δακτυλοδεικτοῦσα τὴν μέλλουσαν κυριακὴν κέκραγε λέγουσα· Ἴδε ἡ μήτηρ τῶν μελλόντων ἀναγεννᾶσθαι. Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα. Ἀκούσατε τὴν ἡμέραν· οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς κεῖται τὸ Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα, ἀλλ' ἵνα σὺ μάθῃς ἑαυτὸν προκαθαίρειν ἀπὸ πάσης κηλῖδος, ἵνα λύσῃς ἔχθραν, ἵνα παύσῃς ὀργήν, ἵνα σβέσῃς διαβολήν, ἵνα σφίγξῃς ἀγάπην καὶ πλατύνῃς φιλοπτωχίαν, ἵνα μὴ μόνος σὺ ἑορτάσῃς ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἐνδεούμενος συνεορτάσῃ σοι· ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ μεταδῷς τῷ χρείαν ἔχοντι, σὺ μὲν ἑορτάζεις, ἐκεῖνος δὲ στυγνάζει. Ὅπως οὖν μὴ γένηται ἐπὶ σοῦ τὸ τοῦ πλουσίου καὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου, μετάδος τῷ χρείαν ἔχοντι, εὐποίησον τῷ ἐνδεουμένῳ, ὅπως καὶ σὺ διὰ παντὸς ἑορτάσῃς κἀκεῖνος συνευωχηθῇ. Τί οὖν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής; Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν, ὅπου ἦν Λάζαρος ὃν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν. Ὢ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου σοφίας. Ἤγειρε τὸν Λάζαρον, ἵνα ἐρεθίσῃ τὸν διάβολον. Ἄκουε διὰ βραχέων. Ὡς εἶδεν ὁ διάβολος τοῦ κυρίου βοήσαντος· Λάζαρε, δεῦρο ἔξω, καὶ πάντα τὰ καταχθόνια διαλυθέντα καὶ τὰς κάτω δυνάμεις μὴ ὑποφερούσας κρατεῖν ὡς βασιλικοῦ προστάγματος καταπεμφθέντος, μᾶλλον δὲ ὡς θεϊκοῦ βουλήματος ἐνεργοῦντος, καὶ ὅτι παραυτὰ αἱ μὲν τρίχες Λαζάρου ἄνωθεν ἐρριζοῦντο, τῶν δὲ νεύρων αἱ διαλύσεις συνεσφίγγοντο, τῶν δὲ σαρκῶν αἱ μειώσεις ἀνεπληροῦντο, τῶν δὲ ὀστέων ὁ χωρισμὸς συνηρμόζετο, τῶν δὲ ἰχώρων τὰ ῥεῖθρα συνεστέλλοντο, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα τὸ ζωτικὸν ὑπεισήρχετο, ἡ δὲ δέσποινα ψυχὴ τὴν ἀρχαίαν προτέραν μονὴν ἀπελάμβανεν, ὡς εἶδε ταῦτα καὶ τὰ παραπλήσια τούτων γινόμενα, θορυβηθεὶς καὶ ἐναγώνιος γενόμενος ἐπέτασσε ταῖς ὑπ' αὐτὸν δυνάμεσι λέγων· Ἀντιτάξασθε, κραταιώθητε, τὴν ἐμὴν βασιλείαν μὴ προδῶτε. Ὦ τί πέπονθα; Καταλύεται τὸ κράτος τοῦ θανάτου, ὅπερ διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐκτησάμην· ὃν ἔχω τέσσαρας ἡμέρας κρατῶν νῦν ἀναδίδωμι βίᾳ. Μεγάλῃ συμφορᾷ περιπέπτωκα· ἠρξάμην ἐξεμεῖν οὓς κατέπιον. Οὐ διὰ τὸν Λάζαρον μόνον κλαίω, φοβοῦμαι μὴ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους οὓς κατέχω ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ μεχρὶ τοῦ νῦν ἀπολέσω. Σπουδῆς μοι χρεία καὶ πολλῆς ἰσχύος· εἰ μὴ προκαταλάβω τὸν τῷ λόγῳ συλοῦντά με, πάσης μου τῆς ὑπάρξεως κενὸν ἀποδείξει με. Εὗρον ὃ πράξω, ἔγνων τί ποιήσω· ἔχω τοὺς Ἰουδαίους συνδρόμους, μισθοῦμαι τὸν Ἰούδαν, ἀεί μοι οὗτος ὑπουργεῖ καλῶς. Φιλάργυρος γὰρ ὢν προσελθούσης γυναικὸς τὸ μύρον τριακοσίων δηναρίων διετιμήσατο κόπους παρέχων αὐτῇ· καὶ τὸ μὲν μύρον διετιμήσατο τριακοσίων δηναρίων, τὸν δὲ δεσπότην τοῦ μύρου τριάκοντα δηναρίων πωλήσει. Πολλῆς μοι οὖν σπουδῆς χρεία σταυρὸν κατασκευάσαι· αὐτός μου τὸν Λάζαρον ἔλαβεν, ἐγὼ αὐτὸν ὧδε ὅλον καθελκύσω καὶ τοῖς νεκροῖς συναριθμήσω, ἵνα μάθῃ κατὰ μείζονος μὴ στρατεύεσθαι. Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ παραπλήσια τούτων βουλεύσασθαι καὶ εἰπεῖν τὸν διάβολον ἠρέθισε τὸ τὸν Λάζαρον ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῆναι. ∆ιὸ καὶ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους εἰς μείζονα φθόνον διήγειρεν ὥστε ὑπουργῆσαι τῇ βουλῇ αὐτοῦ καὶ σταυρὸν τῷ κυρίῳ κατασκευάσαι, ἵνα γένηται ἡ κατάρα εὐλογία καὶ τὸ ξύλον τοῦ σταυροῦ τοῖς πᾶσι σωτηρία. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τῆς τοῦ Λαζάρου ἀναστάσεως ὁ μὲν διάβολος ἐταράχθη, οἱ δὲ φαρισαῖοι συνήχθησαν, ἡ Μάρθα ἐπληροφορήθη, ἡ Μαρία ἐδοξάσθη, ἡ ἀνάστασις προανεδείχθη, οἱ μαθηταὶ κραταιότεροι ἐγένοντο, καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων πιστεύσαντες εἰς τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ὑπήντησαν αὐτῷ μετὰ κλάδων καὶ βαΐων κράζοντες καὶ λέγοντες· Ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις, εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου, βασιλεὺς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.