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How dark the world had become for the two women in our readings today, the widow of Zeraphath in the first reading and the widow of Nain in the Gospel. Because they were widows, they had no way to support themselves other than what living they could scratch out, perhaps doing some weaving or working in the fields during the harvest time. But they had one great joy: they had sons. Not only were these the lights of the their lives, but their sons would be the ones who would care for them when they could no longer provide for themselves. Then suddenly, their sons died. There is no greater grief than to lose a child and nothing the world throws at us can be worse than the death of a child. The widows’ grief had to be unfathomable. But God was aware of their grief. In the first reading God heard the prayers of Elijah for the widow of Zeraphath and restored her son’s life. In the Gospel Jesus brought the widow of Nain’s son back to life.
How dark the world had become for the two women in our readings today, the widow of Zeraphath in the first reading and the widow of Nain in the Gospel. Because they were widows, they had no way to support themselves other than what living they could scratch out, perhaps doing some weaving or working in the fields during the harvest time. But they had one great joy: they had sons. Not only were these the lights of the their lives, but their sons would be the ones who would care for them when they could no longer provide for themselves. Then suddenly, their sons died. There is no greater grief than to lose a child and nothing the world throws at us can be worse than the death of a child. The widows’ grief had to be unfathomable. But God was aware of their grief. In the first reading God heard the prayers of Elijah for the widow of Zeraphath and restored her son’s life. In the Gospel Jesus brought the widow of Nain’s son back to life.
God transformed their grief into complete joy. We are all tempted to be bound by the negatives of life. We certainly hear enough about the horrible things that happen in the world. We should be aware of the suffering of other people so we can reach out to them, but life is not negative. It is wonderful. It is full of joy and laughter. Our world is beautiful. Consider the magnificence of our country, the canyon lands, the mountains, the lakes and oceans. Look at our children. How can we not help but recognize how wonderful the world is when we see our students excel not just in their academics, but take their first steps to becoming productive members of our faith and our country? How can we not be positive when we see our college people giving a summer or a year to serve the Lord in his poorest people, and then taking leadership positions in the faith? How can we not be positive when we see so many of our families taking their Catholicism so seriously? How can we not be full of joy when we look at the faces of our little children? There are so many positives in the world. We have been given a tremendous gift, Jesus Christ. The Victor has conquered the negatives of life. Jesus Christ has conquered death. The waters of our baptism have immersed us into beauty. "The Word of the Lord truly comes from your mouth,” the widow of the first reading exclaimed. "A great prophet has risen from our midst,” the people of the Gospel added. You can feel the excitement and joy in the people who proclaimed these statements. Prophecy and life are linked together. The way of the Lord is the way of life.
Perhaps the greatest argument for hope comes when we look at Jesus’ reaction to the widow’s grief. The word St. Luke uses suggests the Lord was profoundly moved, down to the core of his being. In this moment, we can’t help but see Jesus’ compassion towards those who are suffering. It’s interesting to note that the initiative to raise up the son of the widow is taken by Christ; no one asks him to do it. Everyone had already accepted the young man’s death as the final word. He could have passed by this funeral procession or waited quietly until they begged him to do something. But his heart is stirred by this mother’s suffering. Perhaps he had his own mother in mind, knowing what she went through with the death of St. Joseph and what she would go through with his passion and death. He know this widow had lost everything, she lost her son. It is more than just another miracle; it is almost as if Jesus can’t help himself when he sees people hurting. It is in his nature to console and connect with the broken hearted. So he goes up to her and says, “Do not weep.” We can almost hear Jesus continue explaining to the confused and grieving woman, ‘I don’t want to see you crying; I’ve come to earth to bring joy and peace.’
This compassion and empathy did not disappear when Jesus ascended into heaven. His care for those who are hurting continues today for every human heart that is broken, confused, lost, or lonely. Jesus identifies closely with the grieving parent, the grieving spouse, the grieving sibling, the grieving child, and the grieving friend. If you are one of these people, if you are hurting, lonely, confused, lost, or broken-hearted, be encouraged, because at this very moment, Jesus is near to you, he knows your pain and suffering, he shares it with you, and he is loving you tremendously and personally. He is not indifferent in any way!
In many cases, Jesus cares for the suffering through us. You and I are called to be his ambassadors of consolation and strength for those who are lost, grieving, lonely, and hurting. Our prayers, support, and thoughtfulness can shine a ray of Christ’s hope into the darkness that sickness and death casts over individuals and families. Many people get uncomfortable around those who are in the midst of suffering and death. Some of that is understandable but more often than not, it’s because we feel we need to have answers for what is happening or we need to fix their problems. That is not our job! Who can understand the ways of God and the mysteries of sickness and death?
We can also be tempted to wonder if God cares for us in moments of loss. Why doesn’t he do something? Why does he raise the widow’s son while my child, my spouse, my family member suffered and died? I wondered this myself when my baby sister died 19 years ago. It may not console us in the moment of death, but the truth is that Jesus has actually raised all of us from the dead. With his passion and death, he resurrected the human race from the clutches of sin. As difficult as it is to accept, he allows death in this life to make way for eternal life. Every person who was healed or brought back to life by Jesus in the gospel eventually died. On the other hand, every single person he has redeemed and brought into heaven will never die or suffer again.
Let us stay close to Christ in our moments of trial and suffering. Let us never forget that he is right next to us, loving us, supporting us, and even hurting with us. We have a God who empathizes, who cares for us personally, a God with a heart the world can’t contain. Let’s believe this Good News and make sure we share it with others who are suffering!
