Tuesday, September 16, 2003
24th Week in Ordinary Time

1st Reading: 1 Tim 3:1-13
Gospel: Lk 7:11-17

A little later Jesus went to a town called Naim and many of his disciples went with him-a great number of people. As he reached the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out. He was the only son of his mother and she was a widow; there followed a large crowd of townspeople.

On seeing her, the Lord had pity on her and said, "Don't cry." Then he came up and touched the stretcher and the men who carried it stopped. Jesus then said, "Young man, awake, I tell you." And the dead man got up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. A holy fear came over them all and they praised God saying, "A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people." This news spread out in the Jewish country and the surrounding places.

Commentary

"On seeing her, the Lord had pity on her…" If there is a word that can sum up the attitude of Jesus towards human misery, that word is compassion. To be compassionate is to be able to feel the misery of others, to suffer with others. And this is exactly what Jesus felt when he saw the funeral of the only son of a widowed mother. Her son was the only family left for her and with his death, she is all alone in the world. We remember another widow at the foot of the cross looking at the painful death of her only son. The Son still full of compassion entrusted her mother to the care of the beloved disciple: "Son, look at your mother." Discipleship is following the way of the compassionate one.

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