In our Gospel today of Luke 7:11-17, Jesus comes upon a procession of people carrying a dead man. He sees his mother, a widow, and is moved with pity. He moves forward and touches the coffin, and the man is healed.
Not only did Jesus perform a miracle of bringing the dead man back to life, he recognized the mother’s tremendous grief at losing her only child. Compounding that grief, Jesus knew the son’s death would leave her in a very precarious position as a widow without her child to support her. Widows without family to support them were among the poorest of the poor in those days, and were considered outcasts by society.
This Gospel is another example of the depth of Jesus’ compassion, and the completeness of his healing. Have we experienced Jesus stepping forward to heal us? Do we understand the depth of Christ’s compassion and healing in our lives?
De Colores, Deacon Kevin
