May 28

And after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.—John xl. 11.

He said true. To the sisters Lazarus was dead; to the Lord he was asleep. To men he was dead, seeing they could not raise him. For the Lord waked him from the grave with as great ease as thou wakest a sleeping man from his bed. Therefore in respect of his power he spoke of Lazarus as sleeping, as indeed other dead are often in the Scriptures spoken of as sleeping; as the apostle says, But concerning them that sleep, I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that ye sorrow not, even as the rest who have no hope. And in fact the apostle too spoke of them by the term, them that sleep, as foretelling their rising again. Consequently, every dead person sleepeth, both good and bad. But just as in our daily sleeping and rising from sleep, it makes a difference, what one sees in his sleep: some have joyful dreams, some tormenting, so that on awaking, the man fears to go to sleep, lest he fall back upon the same dreams: so every man sleeps with his account which he must render, and with his account rises. It makes a difference too, into what sort of custody a man is taken, to be after produced before the Judge. For the bestowal of persons to be tried varies according to the merits of the causes for which they are to be tried: some are ordered into custody of the lictors, whose business is to treat their prisoners humanely and mildly, and as citizens; others are handed over to the bailiffs; others are sent to prison: and even in the prison not all fare alike, but some, as the graver complexion of the charges against them may require, are thrust into the lowest dungeons. As then the descriptions of custody exercised by officers are diverse, so there are diverse sorts of custody into which the dead are taken, and diverse the merits of them that rise again. The poor man was taken into custody, the rich man was also taken; but the one into Abraham's bosom, the other into a place where he should thirst, and find not a drop of water.

All souls, then, my beloved,—that I take this occasion to instruct you,—all souls, I say, when they depart this life, have their diverse receptions. The good souls have joy, the bad have torments. But when the resurrection shall take place, both good men's joy shall be more ample, and bad men's torments more grievous; when they shall be tormented with the body. Received in peace were holy patriarchs, prophets, martyrs, good believers; all however yet waiting to receive in the end that which God hath promised: for the promise is resurrection of the flesh also, the destruction of death, eternal life with the angels. This we shall all receive together: but that rest which is given immediately after death, if a man is worthy of it, each receives just when he dies. First the patriarchs received it; see what a time it is since they have been at rest: afterward the prophets: more recently the apostles, much more recently the holy martyrs, every day good believers. And some have now been long in this rest, others not so long, others a few years, others scarce any while. But when from this sleep they shall awake, they shall all together receive that which is promised.