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Another story I have used in a hope and spirituality group for psychiatric inpatients is the resurrection account of Lazarus in John 11. In the group we read a meditation on this story as narrated by Father William Burke (1999) in Protect Us from All Anxiety; Meditations for the Depressed:

I hear him but I don't come out, preferring dark and peacefulness, where I belong. Outside, where he and all who love me go on beating on my tomb, anemones are blooming and red poppies grow in lush and shimmering grass. I do not grow or feel or care, I am much more than four days dead. There is no hope for me, why don't they go away, I try to tell them with my tears: "Why must you make such noise?" They grunt and sweat and push aside the rock and he unwinds my linen strips and stills my protest with his kiss. So toddler-wise to cautious cheering, Lazarus comes out, but I delay my party as I turn and stare into my tomb and wonder why I went in there, (pp. 103-4)

The symbolism in this story lends itself well to describing the experience of depression: i.e., being in a tomb, more than four days dead, loved ones beating on the tomb. Most in the group could relate to the experience of shutting down, feeling numb inside, not being able to enjoy the beauty of life. The tomb, like depression, was for Lazarus a familiar dark place, were he had lived seemingly a long time. We discussed the meaning of people outside beating on the tomb; one woman believed they symbolized loved ones trying to help but not quite sure how. Sometimes they have good intentions, she continued, but what they say does not help. I suggested the author implies that Lazarus was pulled out by Jesus, but a group member corrected me, indicating that Lazarus walked out of the tomb of his own volition. This led to a discussion of the respective roles of self and others in assisting one in the recovery process. One man explained that he knew it was fundamentally up to him to leave the tomb - yet he had given up on "recovery" per se. A woman indicated she did not know how to leave. The help of others was considered crucial by all, and most did not quite understand how they got there.

This biblical story offers hope to those suffer from depression through the archetypal metaphor of death and new life. For individuals suffering from chronic major depression, there seems to be no end to it, no redemption. Being hospitalized with others who also suffer from depression sometimes can add to the feeling of hopelessness. In the resurrection account of Lazarus we see a rival narrative offered by someone with a first-hand understanding of depression. It is not critical that clients believe in the literal meaning of the story. What is important is the story's symbolic meaning: i.e., that someone can recover from a seemingly insurmountable illness. This is the hopeful rival narrative, countering master narratives of hopelessness. The man who has given up on recovery, for example, still believes he will get better. In the group format, clients were invited to explore both their own stories and the stories of others in light of this rival narrative. They

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also were invited to "play" with the story, to be creative in interpreting it with the aim of better understanding their own life narrative.

In terms of the types of hope outlined, Lazarus demonstrated hope as will, way, and action. Father Burke's interpretation of the passage highlights Lazarus as very low in hope. The members' discussion, however, emphasized Lazarus' walking out of his own volition - in other words, he embodies hope as action, hope despite the odds. Along with hope as action must be some degree of hope as will. Perhaps Lazarus did not consciously want to leave the tomb - yet at some level he wanted to live, and his inner will won out. When I discussed Yahne and Miller's five of types of hope in a geriatric outpatient group, hope as action rose to the top as important in situations of clinical depression. People who are depressed many not have hope as horizon, hope as way, or hope as wish. Although it fluctuates in intensity, most agreed that they have some hope as will.