Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom
September 13, 2022
Daily Reading from the USCCB: Luke 7:11-17
Luke’s Gospel records the touching scene of Jesus raising the widow of Nain’s son from the dead. What a sad procession that must have been. This poor woman–a widow and now without her only son for support–is left to fend for herself, which was difficult in Jesus’ time and culture.
It is easy to see Jesus fill with compassion to witness this scene, and perhaps even to see his own mother as she would watch her only son die on the cross on Good Friday. Jesus gently tells the mother “Not to fear,” as he approaches the dead son. He touches the bier on which the son lay and in the simplest way says, “Young man, I tell you, arise.” The man comes to life and Jesus returns him to his mother. The crowd is stunned, shouting “God has visited his people!”
There may be one or more times in our journeys when the merciful Lord has “raised” us from a pit or a ditch that we’ve stumbled into. Indeed, there are miracles we’ve all experienced in our lives. We have felt lifeless and helpless. But the merciful Lord–perhaps in the guise of a friend–came and raised us back to life again.
