Reverend James Martin Interview Notes
Jesuit Catholic Priest, Writer
Book: “Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus’s Greatest Miracle”
Podcast: “Come Forth like Lazarus and Embrace the Miracle of Life with Reverend James Martin”
In this podcast, I have the honor and great pleasure of speaking with Reverend James Martin, Jesuit Catholic Priest, and Author of the magnificent, colorful, and insightful book “Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus’s Greatest Miracle”.
We talk about why the Reverend chose “The Raising of Lazarus” as the subject of his book. Its theme of coming forth and stepping forward can have various meanings and signify many different things for each individual ranging from an invitation for change and leaving our “metaphorical tombs” behind to starting and stepping into a richer, fuller, and authentic new life.
Moreover, the book also has elements of a travelogue, memoir, motivational, inspirational, and spiritual self-help alongside philosophical and religious thoughts and reflections about life, death, the afterlife, and what is considered the greatest miracle performed by Jesus.
In the Scriptures, the raising of Lazarus demonstrates the immense power that the messiah has over life and death by bringing a person back to life, but it can also be interpreted as a call for change and finding your true voice and vocation in life. Deep down in our inner life, our intuition may be giving us signs from the divine telling and propelling us to come forth and embrace and lead a more healthy, holy, grounded, and centered life.
01:07:
Talking about book “Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus’s Greatest Miracle” and the meaning and significance of the title of “Coming Forth”. Deep dive into the story from the Gospels of “The Raising of Lazarus”. Invitation to the reader to embrace various aspects of life and leave behind our “metaphorical tombs” anything that keeps us down, unfree, or dead in any way and to walk into new life to become our best and truest selves.
02:18:
Book as travelogue with trip to the Tomb of Lazarus includes pictures and images from Bethany. Leading pilgrimages to the place where Jesus raised his friend from the dead and it still speaks to us today. There are parts of our lives that feel dead or stuck. Not just something that happened 2000 years ago but something that is still relevant to all of us today.
04:14:
Talking about inspirational miniseries of Jesus of Nazareth by Franco Zeffirelli and its portrayal of the Rasing of Lazarus. A life-long journey to understand who this person was who was raised from the dead. Revered James Martin’s own introduction to the New Testament started with TV. Lazarus also prevalent in cultural history in arts, painting, and poetry apart from movie and TV.
06:47:
Why did Jesus wait and hesitate before seeing his friend? Was it a publicity stunt of sorts or to do a great miracle to prove his powers to everyone? Jewish belief at the time was the soul hovered around the body for two or three days but when Jesus arrived four days later, Lazarus was officially dead according to Jewish tradition. In John’s Gospel Jesus is very much in control. Not just a miracle for the sake of doing a miracle but so that people believe. His greatest miracle shows that he has even power over death.
08:40:
What was going through the mind of Lazarus as he was being called upon from the dead and coming back to life? Often in fictional treatment, he does not want to come back. He is called back to life and must make a decision. Do I listen to this voice and get up? An important question regarding mental health and therapy: To trust that you can indeed change. That it is possible. In terms of Lazarus, no one had ever done this before.
10:29:
Leaving the comfort zone, the old patterns, behaviors, and addictions. Change can feel threatening as you are letting go of the familiar. Often death feels like life and life like death. Invitation and belief in new life that can be offered to us and that we are being called to. For the believer it is furthermore God’s voice that is calling us. It is an invitation by the divine.
12:07:
On the role of magic in our everyday lives. Nothing is impossible with God. Miracles are happening all the time. Is it something ever less of a miracle if it happens over time and is not immediate. Change may not be immediate like in the case of Lazarus but may take time and patience. It’s still and nonetheless a miracle and miraculous that people can change that way. We have to believe and trust in that.
13:54:
On connecting deep down with our intuition. God speaks to us in profound ways in our inner lives. A desire to move into a new and freer way of life. Wanting to lead a more healthy, holy, grounded, and centered life, trust it as it can come from God. The desire for a fuller and richer life is coming from God. How else would God work within us other than awaken within us the desire for new life and freedom? Deep desires and longings that are long-lasting with the power of changing our lives come from God.
Jesuit Catholic Priest, Writer
Book: “Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus’s Greatest Miracle”
Podcast: “Come Forth like Lazarus and Embrace the Miracle of Life with Reverend James Martin”
In this podcast, I have the honor and great pleasure of speaking with Reverend James Martin, Jesuit Catholic Priest, and Author of the magnificent, colorful, and insightful book “Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus’s Greatest Miracle”.
We talk about why the Reverend chose “The Raising of Lazarus” as the subject of his book. Its theme of coming forth and stepping forward can have various meanings and signify many different things for each individual ranging from an invitation for change and leaving our “metaphorical tombs” behind to starting and stepping into a richer, fuller, and authentic new life.
Moreover, the book also has elements of a travelogue, memoir, motivational, inspirational, and spiritual self-help alongside philosophical and religious thoughts and reflections about life, death, the afterlife, and what is considered the greatest miracle performed by Jesus.
In the Scriptures, the raising of Lazarus demonstrates the immense power that the messiah has over life and death by bringing a person back to life, but it can also be interpreted as a call for change and finding your true voice and vocation in life. Deep down in our inner life, our intuition may be giving us signs from the divine telling and propelling us to come forth and embrace and lead a more healthy, holy, grounded, and centered life.
01:07:
Talking about book “Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus’s Greatest Miracle” and the meaning and significance of the title of “Coming Forth”. Deep dive into the story from the Gospels of “The Raising of Lazarus”. Invitation to the reader to embrace various aspects of life and leave behind our “metaphorical tombs” anything that keeps us down, unfree, or dead in any way and to walk into new life to become our best and truest selves.
02:18:
Book as travelogue with trip to the Tomb of Lazarus includes pictures and images from Bethany. Leading pilgrimages to the place where Jesus raised his friend from the dead and it still speaks to us today. There are parts of our lives that feel dead or stuck. Not just something that happened 2000 years ago but something that is still relevant to all of us today.
04:14:
Talking about inspirational miniseries of Jesus of Nazareth by Franco Zeffirelli and its portrayal of the Rasing of Lazarus. A life-long journey to understand who this person was who was raised from the dead. Revered James Martin’s own introduction to the New Testament started with TV. Lazarus also prevalent in cultural history in arts, painting, and poetry apart from movie and TV.
06:47:
Why did Jesus wait and hesitate before seeing his friend? Was it a publicity stunt of sorts or to do a great miracle to prove his powers to everyone? Jewish belief at the time was the soul hovered around the body for two or three days but when Jesus arrived four days later, Lazarus was officially dead according to Jewish tradition. In John’s Gospel Jesus is very much in control. Not just a miracle for the sake of doing a miracle but so that people believe. His greatest miracle shows that he has even power over death.
08:40:
What was going through the mind of Lazarus as he was being called upon from the dead and coming back to life? Often in fictional treatment, he does not want to come back. He is called back to life and must make a decision. Do I listen to this voice and get up? An important question regarding mental health and therapy: To trust that you can indeed change. That it is possible. In terms of Lazarus, no one had ever done this before.
10:29:
Leaving the comfort zone, the old patterns, behaviors, and addictions. Change can feel threatening as you are letting go of the familiar. Often death feels like life and life like death. Invitation and belief in new life that can be offered to us and that we are being called to. For the believer it is furthermore God’s voice that is calling us. It is an invitation by the divine.
12:07:
On the role of magic in our everyday lives. Nothing is impossible with God. Miracles are happening all the time. Is it something ever less of a miracle if it happens over time and is not immediate. Change may not be immediate like in the case of Lazarus but may take time and patience. It’s still and nonetheless a miracle and miraculous that people can change that way. We have to believe and trust in that.
13:54:
On connecting deep down with our intuition. God speaks to us in profound ways in our inner lives. A desire to move into a new and freer way of life. Wanting to lead a more healthy, holy, grounded, and centered life, trust it as it can come from God. The desire for a fuller and richer life is coming from God. How else would God work within us other than awaken within us the desire for new life and freedom? Deep desires and longings that are long-lasting with the power of changing our lives come from God.
