The Life of the World to Come

In our penitential rite at the beginning of Mass we often say:

You raise the dead to life in the Spirit.

We believe that, and we all look forward to that.

In fact, we end our creed saying:

I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus demonstrates that he has the power of God.

He amazes the crowd by raising the dead.

But not to life in the Spirit, and not into the world to come—but back into this world.

The Gospels tell us of only three instances when Jesus did this.

We’re told that he cured many—hundreds, maybe thousands—who were suffering.

But we’re told of only three that he raised from death back to this life.

This son of the widow of Nain

The daughter of Jairus, the synagogue official.

And, of course, Lazarus.

In reporting his healings of the sick, the evangelists often make special note of the fact that Jesus was moved by compassion for those suffering individuals.

In these three cases of raising from the dead,

Jesus was similarly moved by compassion for the suffering individuals.

But those suffering people he pitied weren’t the dead,

They were the survivors who were left behind.

Jesus wasn’t moved by the widow’s son.

It was the widow herself who evoked his pity.

He saw her weeping and understood the emotional pain she felt from losing a child.

And he knew the hardships she would face as a poor widow with no one to support her.

She didn’t ask for his help, he immediately empathized with her.

He may have seen in her the suffering his own mother would endure.

And it wasn’t the official’s daughter who evoked his compassion.

It was Jairus and his wife.

He saw their faith and humility when they came to him.

He saw their weeping when they reached the girl’s room.

Jesus didn’t know the dead son or daughter, but he did know Lazarus.

We’re told that he knew him well, and loved him.

But his compassion went out to Martha and Mary.

He wept with them at the tomb.

Jesus told us that if we’ve seen the Son we’ve seen the Father.

So, seeing Jesus, it’s clear that we have a most compassionate God.

A God who loves each one of us, individually.

A God who takes pity on us in all our sorrows and our sufferings.

And so, it seems a great sign of hope that Jesus sees no need to pity the dead.

Tuesday of the 24^th Week in Ordinary Time

Lk 7:11-17                                   

Read this Scripture @usccb.org