10th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle
C
1 Kings 17: 17-24; Galatians 1: 11-19;
Luke 7: 11-17
The
Gospel today depicts the story of Jesus entering the city of Nain.
The first time that I read this story, I was captivated by the
miracle – Jesus raised someone from the dead – and the crowd
rejoiced. As I reread the story, however, a different picture began
to emerge.
There
are a couple of things happening within the story that are revealed
when we take a closer look. This account isn't just about a healing.
The story's focus isn't on the young man – it is on the mother.
Luke's use of the word “her” so many times demonstrates that
fact. Jesus see's her,
is moved with pity for her,
speaks to her,
and after restoring the life of the son, gives him to her.
Clearly the writer wants us to understand this woman's predicament.
The
woman in the story is a widow and now she has lost her only son as
well. In other words, she has lost her only means for support. She
is now at the mercy of others. In today's world that might be hard
to fathom, but in the time and place where she lived, that was the
reality of her situation. Jesus sees her pain and is filled with
compassion and pity for her. It is worth noting here that Jesus was
never asked to intervene. In most of Jesus' miracle stores, he is
asked for help. But not this one.
This
gospel story is also noteworthy because its location – at the gate
of the city. The city is the center, the hub of society. It is a
place of life. It is where people find meaning through their
day-to-day struggle in relationships and communal interaction.
Outside the city is the cemetery – a place of death.
As
the story opens, there are two crowds moving in opposite directions:
Jesus and his crowd of followers are heading for the city – the
place of life. The funeral crowd is moving toward the cemetery –
the place of death. The two crowds converge at the city gate – an
in-between place that is neither within the city nor the cemetery.
When
I think about the crowd moving away from the city, away from life, I
have to wonder who might be in that group today. Perhaps those who
are stuck in a dead-end job, with no hope of something better on the
horizon. Maybe people who are going through the motions, trapped in
a situation from which they see no escape. I see single parents,
struggling to raise their children alone. I see teenagers – old
enough to “know better” yet too young and inexperienced in the
ways of life to make informed and proper choices. I see older people
with failing health who must now rely on others to provide for them.
All of these people might be present in the crowd moving away from
life.
Here
at St. Francis, we are very mindful and aware of those less
fortunate. We have organizations like CLOUT which seeks solutions to
help the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized. He have angel
trees and the collection for Whitley City to help those who have very
little. But what of these others? They may have homes and jobs and
401K's and so their needs may not be quite as noticeable. They may
be doing OK on the surface but suffering emotionally or spiritually.
How do we reach out to them? How do we even know that they are
hurting?
The
widow of Nain was a part of this crowd of disillusion. Life as she
had known it had come to an end. She had lost her hope. Then she
has an encounter with Christ. Jesus discerned her needs and acted.
No one asked him to – his response came from the compassion and the
pity he was feeling. And what a response it was! The dead man
awakens and the people began to celebrate and proclaim, “God has
visited his people.”
We
all want to belong to the crowd that is heading into the city – the
place of life. Sometimes, however, we find ourselves in the midst of
the other crowd. Jesus calls each of us to action on this day. If
you are amongst those heading toward life, be thankful for all that
God had blessed you with, and share the joy of the risen Christ with
all those you encounter. If you are among those heading away from
life, cling to hope and know that Christ is present within your
suffering. As we come to the Eucharist, let us all seek ways of
sharing that gift of Christ's love.
Deacon Darryl J. Diemer
10th Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 9, 2013
Painting: Jesus Resurrecting The Son Of The Widow Of Nain
by Pierre Bouillon c. 1749-1806
