The Pope: God is Greater than Death

"The death of the body is a sleep from which God can awaken one at any moment."

VATICAN CITY (Zenit) - The authentic hope of humanity is the confidence that God is greater than death, says Benedict XVI.

The Pope affirmed this praying the midday Angelus with thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square, reflecting on the resurrection of Lazarus.

The Holy Father first noted that this was the "last great 'sign' worked by Jesus."

"Lazarus was the living proof of Christ's divinity and Christ is the Lord of life and death. In reality this Gospel passage shows Jesus as true Man and true God," he said.

The Pontiff said Christ told his disciples he would "awaken" Lazarus, thus "expressing God's view of physical death with the metaphor of sleep: God indeed sees it as sleep from which one can awaken."

"Jesus shows an absolute power in the face of this death," said Benedict XVI. "The death of the body is a sleep from which God can awaken one at any moment."

Christ declared to Martha: "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, he will live; whoever lives and believes in me, will never die." And he adds: "Do you believe this?"

The Pope said, "It is a question that Jesus addresses to each one of us; a question that certainly overwhelms us, it overwhelms our ability to understand, and it asks us to entrust ourselves to him, as he has entrusted himself to the Father."

The Holy Father urged the faithful to respond just as Martha did, "Yes, O Lord! We too believe, despite our doubts and our darkness; we believe in you, because you have the words of eternal life; we want to believe in you, who gives us a trustworthy hope of life beyond life, of authentic and full life in your kingdom of light and peace."