Moved With Pity

I never really thought that much about widowhood before my dad died. I mean I definitely felt for women or men who lost their spouses to death, and being a divorced person myself, I know what it feels like to all of a sudden sleep alone each night, but I never really had a special place in my heart for widows until my mom became one. Today we see another piece of the heart of Jesus as he becomes deeply moved by a grieving mother, a widow, who was burying her only son. 

A large crowd surrounded Jesus and his apostles as usual, but he saw a dead man being carried out of the city, the only son of a mother that had already been widowed, and it says that he was “moved with pity.” Do you think he was possibly flashing forward to his own death of the only son of his widowed mother? This might have been the actual scene that inspired Jesus’ own soul to make sure that his mom was taken care of after his death…”John, behold your mother and mother behold your son.” (John 19:27) Whenever I have been “moved to pity” it literally feels like a hand on my back physically pushing me toward whatever situation has touched my heart and I just picture Jesus dropping everything to walk over to this grieving woman. He knows that she will be destitute without a man to take care of her based on Middle Eastern culture and the soft spot in his heart, in God’s heart, for widows pushes him into miraculous action. Raise your hand if you have ever witnessed miraculous things because of someone’s compassionate heart.  

He raises her son from the dead right there in the street and, of course, it freaked everyone out. Imagine any funeral you have ever been to with a casket present and then imagine the dude in the casket sitting up and start talking to everyone! Yeah, you’d freak too!!!! Jesus knew that this widow needed her only son in order to thrive, in order to survive. Jesus knows that we need God’s only Son in order to thrive, in order to survive.  Jesus wants to break into our dead places and raise us back up. Our intercession for one another, like the mother’s grieving in today’s gospel, moves Jesus with pity, whereupon He tells us, “Do not weep…I tell you, arise!” He came that we might have life…abundant life!

I hope that today will give us a chance to breathe life into someone’s grieving, into someone’s struggling, into someone’s pain, or woundedness, or loneliness. May our hearts soften with the things that soften God’s heart so that we will all be moved toward mercy and compassion for those that need it most. It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 1 TM 3:1-13

Beloved, this saying is trustworthy:
whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task.
Therefore, a bishop must be irreproachable,
married only once, temperate, self-controlled,
decent, hospitable, able to teach,
not a drunkard, not aggressive, but gentle,
not contentious, not a lover of money.
He must manage his own household well,
keeping his children under control with perfect dignity;
for if a man does not know how to manage his own household,
how can he take care of the Church of God?
He should not be a recent convert,
so that he may not become conceited
and thus incur the Devil's punishment.
He must also have a good reputation among outsiders,
so that he may not fall into disgrace, the Devil's trap.

Similarly, deacons must be dignified, not deceitful,
not addicted to drink, not greedy for sordid gain,
holding fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
Moreover, they should be tested first;
then, if there is nothing against them,
let them serve as deacons.
Women, similarly, should be dignified, not slanderers,
but temperate and faithful in everything.
Deacons may be married only once
and must manage their children and their households well.
Thus those who serve well as deacons gain good standing
and much confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.

Responsorial Psalm PS 101:1B-2AB, 2CD-3AB, 5, 6

R.(2) I will walk with blameless heart.
Of mercy and judgment I will sing;
to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.
I will persevere in the way of integrity;
when will you come to me?
R. I will walk with blameless heart.
I will walk with blameless heart,
within my house;
I will not set before my eyes
any base thing.
R. I will walk with blameless heart.
Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret,
him will I destroy.
The man of haughty eyes and puffed up heart
I will not endure.
R. I will walk with blameless heart.
My eyes are upon the faithful of the land,
that they may dwell with me.
He who walks in the way of integrity
shall be in my service.
R. I will walk with blameless heart.

Alleluia LK 7:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 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.