Tuesday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

September 17, 2019

Deacon Anthony J. Cincotta

Assistant Director for Retreat Ministry

Memorial Feast:  Saint Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) patron of catechists and catechumens

First Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy 3:1-13

Psalm 101

Luke 7:11-17

Today’s Gospel is one of my favorites (of course I usually say that about all the Gospels.)  Jesus and His disciples, followed by a large crowd, are walking to a city called Nain.  As they approach the city gate, they encounter a funeral procession.  A young man has died, his mother is a widow and there is a large group of mourners supporting her.  Truly, a sad sight to behold.

What first strikes me is how Jesus goes out of His way to approach the gathering.  He is “moved with pity” when He sees the deceased man’s mother.  She was weeping and filled with grief.  Perhaps Jesus is imagining in His own mind how His own mother, Mary, would react at the time of His death. 

But the mother did not approach our Lord, nor did anyone else.  They probably didn’t even know who He was.  They were focused on their own loss and weren’t looking for any solutions or miracles.

Jesus stretches out His hand and the young man who was on his way to burial returns to life.  What a  gift to the mother, to all his friends and to his family.  Why did Jesus go out of His way to perform this miracle?  Why, because, “He was moved with pity.”

That is the nature of God.  He is moved with pity when He sees human suffering.  Yes, He hears our requests, but He also frequently makes the first move.  This should be reassuring to us when we feel God is ignoring us  or is unconcerned about our problems.  He  hears us, He sees us and He cares about us.

Question of the Day:  Do you believe in the healing power of God?

Prayer:  Father, I believe in your healing power.  I ask that you look into my heart, and if it is your will, please bring me strength in my time of greatest need. 

Prosit

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ENCOUNTERING DIVINE PHYSICIAN (Gospel of Luke 5: 17-26)

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