Christianity Quote by Alexander Schmemann
““I refer to the Gospel account in which Christ weeps at the grave of his friend Lazarus. We need to pause and consider the meaning of these tears, for in this very moment there occurs a unique transformation within religion in relation to the long-standing religious approach to death. Up to this moment the purpose of religion, as well as the purpose of philosophy, consisted in enabling man to come to terms with death, and if possible even to make death desirable: death as the liberation from suffering; death as freedom from this changing, busy, evil world; death as the beginning of eternity. Here, in fact, is the sum total of religious and philosophical teaching before Christ and outside of Christianity - in primitive religions, in Greek philosophy, in Buddhism, and so forth. But Christ *weeps* at the grave of his friend, and in so doing his own struggle with death, his refusal to acknowledge it and to come to terms with it. Suddenly, death ceases to be a normal and natural fact, it appears as something foreign, as unnatural, as fearsome and perverted, and it is acknowledged as an enemy: 'The last enemy to be destroyed is death.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Christian Faith: An Introduction by Alexander Schmemann, 1975
Christ’s tears at Lazarus’s grave reveal a shift from seeing death as a liberating transition to confronting it as a profound loss and enemy, challenging traditional religious comfort with mortality.
In simple terms: Christ’s weeping shows death is not always a release but a painful reality.
Key Takeaway
Recognize death’s impact and seek deeper compassion.
Themes
theity
compassion
theology
humanity
Mood
reflective
somber
Type
theological
philosophical
When to use this quote
- funeral rites
- pastoral counseling
- personal grief
- spiritual formation
Key Concepts
Existential crisis
theological transformation
emotional authenticity
Questions to Reflect On
- How does confronting death change your faith?
- What role does compassion play in grieving?
A Different Perspective
Some may argue this view overemphasizes suffering and neglects hope of afterlife.
![“To be more precise... death is [contrary to] God, and if death is natural, if it is the ultimate truth about life and about the world, if it is the highest and immutable law about all of creation, then there is no God, then this whole story about creation, about joy, and about the light of life is…” quote by Alexander Schmemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4e8/alexander-schmemann-18392_christian_to-be-more-precise-death-is-contrary-to_126170.jpg)
![“The additional problem with all these proofs [of the immortality of the soul] is that in their attempt to affirm the existence of another world, they in fact undermine the reality and the value of this visible world. It is, of course, the perennial argument: things are awful here, therefore let us…” quote by Alexander Schmemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/85b/alexander-schmemann-18392_another-world_the-additional-problem-with-all-these-pr_278162.jpg)
