From Fr. George W. Rutler
When Lazarus died, the disciples were puzzled that our Lord sat down on the Jericho road and waited for a while before starting off for Bethany. But this was part of a plan. He tells them something that sounds strange at first: that during daylight people walk freely, but at night they stumble because “there is no light in them” (John 11:10). He does not say that there is no light outside them, for that would be physical light. He is speaking of himself, the “Light of the World.” That is, he illuminates the intellect and will, in order to reveal his plan for our mortal lives. Just as height is different from stature, so does seeing become perception when guided by the “light shines in the darkness” (John 1:5).Such confidence in God’s plan explains the serenity of the saints. It is not despite rough times and challenges, but because they deliberately slog through them, that the saints know that Christ is in charge. Only human pride doubts that, as in the case of the Pharisees who plotted against the Lord of History even when they saw him raise Lazarus from the tomb. For them history was a static moment, and they did not trust where the Lord was taking them. But to those who follow him, he says the equivalent of the traditional helmsman’s cry, “Steady on.” In more elegant diction he says, “Be glad and rejoice forever and ever for what I am creating” (Isaiah 65:18).