This Sunday’s Gospel places Jesus in Galilee. Nain is a little village at the base of Mount Tabor. You can still see it today. Jesus arrives there with his disciples and a large crowd following after the cure of the centurion’s servant.
He sees a funeral of a dead man, the only son of his mother, a widow.
The Gospel says that “when the Lord saw her he felt sorry for her”. “Do not cry”, he said. The Gospel recounts the miracle.
You can study all the miracles in the Lord’s life and it is hard to find a common thread as to how the Lord prays. He seems to do it differently every time. Sometimes he commands evil to go, sometimes he lays on hands, sometimes he says your sins are forgiven, sometimes he touches, sometimes he is touched, he uses spittle or the like. But one thing is for sure. Jesus always shows outstanding compassion. This is the special quality of Jesus in all the miracles, but especially today.
The word compassion means to suffer with another, to actually feel for another in their grief. It is found in the original meaning of sympathy, to suffer with. It is contained in the second of the beatitudes, “Blessed are they that mourn, they
shall be comforted”. That doesn’t make sense as it stands. It needs an explanation. Jesus says we will be happy and blessed if we reach out to the suffering and grieving to the extent that we feel for them and suffer with them. That will bring us consolation. That is how Jesus lived. He felt for this widow in her grief. He was in mourning. Jesus was able to give the son back to his mother. Jesus is the ultimate sympathetic person. He loves us. He feels our pain. He is our Healer: Be compassionate as your heavenly Father is compassionate.
He sees a funeral of a dead man, the only son of his mother, a widow.
The Gospel says that “when the Lord saw her he felt sorry for her”. “Do not cry”, he said. The Gospel recounts the miracle.
You can study all the miracles in the Lord’s life and it is hard to find a common thread as to how the Lord prays. He seems to do it differently every time. Sometimes he commands evil to go, sometimes he lays on hands, sometimes he says your sins are forgiven, sometimes he touches, sometimes he is touched, he uses spittle or the like. But one thing is for sure. Jesus always shows outstanding compassion. This is the special quality of Jesus in all the miracles, but especially today.
The word compassion means to suffer with another, to actually feel for another in their grief. It is found in the original meaning of sympathy, to suffer with. It is contained in the second of the beatitudes, “Blessed are they that mourn, they
shall be comforted”. That doesn’t make sense as it stands. It needs an explanation. Jesus says we will be happy and blessed if we reach out to the suffering and grieving to the extent that we feel for them and suffer with them. That will bring us consolation. That is how Jesus lived. He felt for this widow in her grief. He was in mourning. Jesus was able to give the son back to his mother. Jesus is the ultimate sympathetic person. He loves us. He feels our pain. He is our Healer: Be compassionate as your heavenly Father is compassionate.
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