Word to the Wise
Sunday, June 9, 2013 - 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C [Corpus Christi 2010]
[1 Kgs 17:17-24; Gal 1:11-19; Luke 7:11-17]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.
The gospel evangelists wrote in such a way that every gesture of Jesus seems to "echo" something from the past, especially since Jesus is portrayed as the fulfillment of the promises of God made to Abraham! In speaking of the "infancy narrative" in the gospels of Luke and Matthew, scripture scholars point out that these stories are "mini-gospels" that foreshadow what will come later on - like overtures to an opera or musical! In the Gospel of Luke, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, speaks the "canticle" that begins, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited his people and set them free!" The story of Jesus restoring life to the son of the widow of Nain echoes that canticle as well as the actions of Elijah which are recounted in today's first scripture! Note that Luke refers to Jesus as "the Lord," that his actions are like Elijah's when he "gave him to his mother," and the reaction of the people calling Jesus a "great prophet" and "God has visited his people!"
All of this very rich mixture - I've used the image of a tapestry before - is meant to tell a story of God's mercy. Any of us who has had a "close call" that could have resulted in serious injury or death for us or someone else can recall the feeling that the Lord did, indeed, have mercy on us in avoiding calamity! God did, indeed, "visit us" and set us free. We have the expression: "I got my life given back to me!" The widows in Zarephath and Nain had this experience. Can we recall similar ones in our own lives? The signs of God's mercy are there if we are ready to accept them. AMEN