Lazarus and our Apostolate

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ashlar Centre in Toronto, on March 22, 2026. In the year 2001 it was exciting because we were entering a new millennium. Pope John Paul II invited us to launch out into the deep, in Latin, Duc in altum (Apostolic letter, Novo millennio ineunte, 2001): He said: Duc in altum! These words ring out for us today, and they invite us to remember the past with gratitude, to live the present with enthusiasm and to look forward to the future with confidence: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever" (Heb 13:8). This is tied to Jesus' call to Lazarus in the tomb: Lazarus, come out! Veni foras! Music: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Thumbnail: The Jonah Sarcophagus, 300. Vatican museum.