In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Today, our Saviour raises the son of the widow of the village of Nain. A long time ago, I saw where this village is – near the foot of Mount Tabor where the Transfiguration happened. From the time of my childhood, I remember that I was hearing about this miracle, and I was very impressed with our Lord’s ability to raise someone from the dead. I did not understand the whole picture at that time, because I was only little. I did not have much experience of life and what it meant to this woman to lose her only son. What impressed me was the fact that our Saviour could raise someone from the dead. It was the same with my reaction to the raising of Lazarus : that really impressed me. I suppose this impresses many people in the same way still to this day – the raising of someone from the dead. It is a wonderful thing. People generally think of this miracle as some sort of magic, or some sort of “ability”, and say : “You can just do it”. In fact, our Saviour did do it. However, it was not because of some sort of ability – as we understand “ability”. It was Who He is that made this happen – the raising of people from the dead. He proclaims Who He is : the One who loves people into life and speaks them into existence. That is Who He is. Therefore, when He is giving life to the son of the widow of Nain, He is doing it because of compassion, because He loves, and because He is Who He is.
By the way, it is important to remember that it was a horrible thing for this woman to lose her only son, a young man. At that time, there was no such thing as welfare, and it meant that this was the end of a normal life for her. It meant that she had no-one to look after her any more, and she would have to go out on the street and beg for anything and everything in order to live. It was a big catastrophe that happened to this woman. Our Lord, out of compassion for her, gave her son back to her.
Sometimes in situations like that, having compassion, we would like to help in the same way. However, the problem is that for you and me, if we could do such a thing from our own strength (which we cannot), then being who we are as fallen, always it would turn into a point of pride for us, and we would start to make money on raising people from the dead. In concert with this, predictably we would say : “Look at what I can do, and what I can do for you !” This is how fallen human beings tend to behave. This is not at all to say that raising people from the dead has not happened since today’s event in Nain. We have seen this happening in apostolic times – for example, those that are written about in the New Testament. In the course of these last 2,000 years, this raising from the dead has happened many, many times. Nevertheless, it is never because any one person has the personal ability to do it or has the ability to make it happen. It always happens only when there is a reason for it to happen – when the Lord wants it to happen. It often happens when people are not expecting it. Therefore, in the lives of holy people even in our day, such things can and do happen when the Lord wills it, and when a person co-operates with the Lord’s life-giving will.
I remember hearing from a priest who had a call to a home where there was a newly-born child that was going to die. He ran quickly to the home in order to baptise the child before it should die. However, the child did die before he got there. He was concerned about the family, so he did what one should never do : he baptised the dead child. The child lived after that. This did not happen because he was able to do it, or anything else. This happened because God loves us with unimaginable, unthinkable love, and He knows what we need. He knew that for some reason this baby had to live and this family had to have this baby, and He inspired this priest to do what he should not do. The baby lived, and God was glorified.
This is how it is with us. Everything in our life has to refer only to the Lord. The Apostle Paul was speaking today about his own experience when he was caught up into Heaven while he was praying, and the joy and the wonder which he felt in being there. The consequence of this was that he had the strength and determination to bring people to the same love of Jesus Christ. The way of the Christian is the way of love, the way of compassion. We live in love with the Lord Himself, and it is the experience of this love that sustains you and me through all sorts of difficulties, and sometimes excruciating, painful situations in our lives. This love enables us to be faithful to the Saviour, to be open to His healing love, to be ready to follow Him in the Way of Life. He is the Way. He is the Life. He is the only Truth.
The Lord may not give to you or to me the responsibility of raising people from the dead. However, He gives us His love, and it is certain that He gives to you and to me the responsibility of sharing with those around us the life that is His, the love that is His to those around us. This sharing of His love brings life to hearts that are deadened, to lives that are broken ; it brings hope to those who are in distress. This love which propels you and me to do irrational things sometimes, likewise gives hope to those around us. We can give life in Christ to those around us. To Him be glory, together with the unoriginate Father, and the all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages.