Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. If today’s Gospel were a work of secular literature, we would talk about this passage as a great example of foreshadowing. Think about it: a son had died, the only child of his mother, who was a widow. If that doesn’t describe Jesus and Mary at the crucifixion, then you haven’t payed enough attention to the passion narratives. I can’t help but think that our Lord’s own Passion was on His mind as He came upon this scene, and how it tugged at His Sacred Heart. The resurrection of this boy is a great act of mercy for a woman who would be in a similar position as the Blessed Mother some time later.
But our Lord has the same desire for us, even if we are not a widow or if we have not lost a child. The Lord desires to raise us up with Him, to raise us to new life, not just a second chance at life on this earth, but a chance at life in a world that will never end, where there is no sorrow, no weeping nor pain, but the fulness of life as we contemplate God for all eternity and worship Him in heaven. And all of the rituals and practices that the Church has, some, like the Sacraments, given to us directly by our Lord, and others, like sacramentals and devotions, given to us through the Church, are ways that the Lord raises us to new life.
When we don’t quite live that our perfectly, Christ gave us the Sacrament of Penance to raise us from the squalor that we have let infect our souls through sin. St. Paul reminds us that the wages of sin is death, and so, as we take upon ourselves death through our sinful actions which we freely choose, we need to be raised to new life, which is done through confessing our sins, being truly sorry for them, having a firm purpose of amendment to not sin again, and receiving absolution from a priest. In that moment, we are raised from the dead.
Likewise, the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Sacraments, allows our Lord to enter into us. We are, quite literally, consuming life Himself, which helps us to live that life of Christ each day. That is why saints, like St. Pius X, recommended frequent reception of Holy Communion (assuming that we are in a state of grace): so that we can more and more receive life, which casts out death. Without the Eucharist, it is impossible to live the life that Christ desires for us as Catholics, which is why it is so painful when Catholics fall away from the faith, even if they attend other ecclesial communities. They are depriving themselves of opportunities to receive within themselves, in the closest and best way possible on this side of eternity, eternal life which is given to us through Christ’s Body and Blood.
But we, too, are called to participate in Christ’s action of raising others from the dead. We can do this, as St. Paul mentioned in the epistle today, through helping others to know and choose the good, doing so gently, and bearing one another’s burdens. Fraternal correction and encouraging others to live as our Lord desires is often difficult, because we can seem to be boasting or taking a position of superiority to others (even if we don’t intend that, it can often be perceived that way). One of the best ways to avoid this is to help others know that we are not perfect ourselves, and that we will help them. Our Lord condemned the Pharisees for imposing burdens on others, but not lifting a finger to help them. Let that never be said of us as we seek to help others live a Catholic life!
But raising others to new life also extends to those who are not Catholic, who are not part of the “family of faith.” Raising up Catholic children is one wonderful way of spreading the faith, but here in our beloved City of Flint and in Genesee County, there are literally thousands of people who do not know Christ, and who are caught up in works of death. Homicides are up 50% in the City of Flint from last year to this year. And one of the many ways to curb that horrible statistic is to spread the Good News about Christ, to be evangelists. Because people who love Jesus don’t kill other people, don’t take the law into their own hands in violent acts of revenge, don’t sell illegal drugs. If we truly wish to see change in our city and county, then we have to share with others the life that we have received.
Again, it is important not to be sanctimonious in our approach, or even to be perceived this way. Yes, we have “the way, the truth, and the life,” in our Lord. But we are working with and walking with others on the path to daily increase in holiness, rather than standing above others. But the key is that we are, in fact, inviting others to the new life that Christ desires for all mankind. It can be done through a kind word, through a warm smile, through a cup of water given to a person in need, all the while sharing not just the word, the smile, or the water, but also the reason why we are doing it: to share the new life of our Lord and help raise people from death.
We may not seem to be doing much. Our efforts may not seem to be effective or making any real difference. But, I would suggest we look at St. Dominic as our model. While the Order of Preachers was still very young and very small, only with a few friars, and the nuns praying for their success, St. Dominic sent the few out friars to the major universities of Europe to share the Gospel. What started off small, and often times was not received well (even by local bishops!), soon became a large community that continues to spread the Gospel to this day. The Lord is inviting us to sustain our own new life in Him, but also to spread that new life to others. Can we look upon our brothers and sisters who are dying and dead, and not feel pity for them as did our Lord with the son of the widow of Nain? Will we walk past as the spiritual funerals of so many pass us by? May we instead share the new life that we have received of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.