In his Raising of Lazarus, painted in 1890, Van Gogh replaced the figure of Christ at the tomb of Lazarus with Christ, the Sun of Justice. Christ fills the tomb and the world itself with his life-giving light. 

The woman with outstretched arms and golden hair is bathed in the light. In the gospel account Martha, the sister of Lazarus, proclaims her belief in the words of Jesus. “I am the Resurrection and the life.”

 Van Gogh was a man who experienced the suffering of mental illness. It seems he painted his own face as the face of Lazarus.

On Friday, we remember the mystery of the Passion of Jesus. He is the Sun that never sets. In evening prayer every day, especially on Fridays, the church professes belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus. “We believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.”

“Let us give thanks to the Father, for having made you worthy to share the lot of the saints in light. 

He rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us in the kingdom of his beloved Son.”

(Colossians 1:12 Evening Prayer, wk 4)