The Gospel according to Luke (7:11-17)
Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain,
and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.
As he drew near to the gate of the city,
a man who had died was being carried out,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.
A large crowd from the city was with her.
When the Lord saw her,
he was moved with pity for her and said to her,
“Do not weep.”
He stepped forward and touched the coffin;
at this the bearers halted,
and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!”
The dead man sat up and began to speak,
and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming,
“A great prophet has arisen in our midst,”
and “God has visited his people.”
This report about him spread through the whole of Judea
and in all the surrounding region..
Reflection:
Today’s Gospel recounts the remarkable miracle performed by Jesus in raising the son of the widow of Nain from the dead. I’ve written about this story a few times by now and I’ll limit myself to just mentioning that it highlights what is a hallmark in the Gospel of Luke in that it shows Jesus reaching out to satisfy the deepest yearning of the heart of someone who quite literally would have been completely at the mercy of strangers for her very life. Jesus cares for each of us with no less an amount of love and concern.
I wanted to focus on something a bit different today, though. Two years ago, Linda and I were invited to join the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher, one of the two heraldic orders sanctioned by the Vatican (the other is the Order of Malta). The Order of the Holy Sepulcher’s mission is to support the Church especially in the Holy Land, to support those who care for the places that are the destination for pilgrimage, and to support the Palestinian people. Linda and I were blessed to make such a pilgrimage in March, three years ago. It was an amazing experience for us both.
I say that as backdrop for what I’ll say next. I’ve been watching with increasing concern and horror over what has happened in Palestine these last two years. I don’t condone in any way the terrorist act by Hamas in which they killed many Israeli citizens and took hundreds hostage into Gaza. But, my heart aches for the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, whose homes have been destroyed, and even now, the Israeli military forces are destroying the last city (as inhabitable as it has become, due to the constant bombings).
When we visited the Holy Land, we were able to meet a young Palestinian woman who was a student at Bethlehem University. She described Gaza to us as nothing more than the largest prison in the world, where some two million Palestinians were incarcerated. Depending on who you believe now, maybe 700,000 of those people, many of them children, have been killed. Most countries have decried what Hamas did, but they have condemned what Israel has done and continues to do to the people of Gaza. There has to be an end to this carnage, and it can’t be the elimination of the Palestinian people in Gaza, though that now seems the most likely outcome.
Won’t you pray with me that two things happen? 1) that the Israeli Defense Force stops their barrage in Gaza City and that they allow humanitarian aid into that area where many have died and many are dying of hunger. And 2) that Hamas will release any remaining hostages immediately, and cease their terrorist activities. I know, this seems impossible, but remember, we serve a God who not only can do the impossible, He DOES do the impossible. And, I’ll add a third thing to pray for: let us pray for peace not only in the Holy Land, but also in Ukraine, and any other countries torn by war, and for peace here in the United States, where all are so polarized and divided. Lord, Prince of Peace, please allow your peace to come to all who are in need of it!
Action for the Day:
Please, pray for peace today – peace in the world, peace in our communities, peace in our hearts.
Link to the DEACON5 website: https://deacon5.com/
If you would like to hear this reflection, click the link below!
