Today, December 17, is the memorial of Saint Lazarus of Bethany.
Saint Lazarus was the brother of Saint Martha and Saint Mary of Bethany and was the one of whom the Jews referred to: “See how much He loved him.” He was the friend of Jesus raised from the dead after having been buried in his tomb for four days.
After his miraculous return to life as narrated in the Bible, nothing else was known about him. Many stories and legends surrounding Lazarus of Bethany surfaced through the centuries. There is a tradition that states that Lazarus became a missionary to Gaul and became the first bishop of Marseilles, France.
It is said that he was beheaded for the faith in the persecutions of Domitian in the First Century. Some of his relics are still in Marseilles, while some are enshrined in the Saint Lazare Cathedral in Autun, France since 1146.