Memorial of Saint Cornelius, pope and martyr, and Saint Cyprian, bishop and martyr
(Luke 7:11-17)
Compassion for the suffering defines part of our humanity. An old proverb tells us, “The young man who will not laugh is a barbarian; the old man who cannot cry is a fool.” We feel for and perhaps cry with people undergoing suffering perhaps because we can see ourselves in such a predicament or because someone dear to us has experienced a similar trial.
In the Gospel of Luke Jesus tells his disciples to be compassionate just as God is compassionate. In the passage today he demonstrates both human and divine compassion. Encountering the heart-rending scene of a widow burying her only son, Jesus first offers her a few words of comfort. Then he raises her son back to life. He not only shows compassion but fulfills the good news he proclaimed earlier, “Blessed are you who are weeping now, for you will laugh.”
Compassion propels us to act. We cannot raise people from the dead as Jesus does in the gospel, but we can utter words of consolation. We might also extend a helping hand if there is need of assistance. The word compassion comes from two Latin words meaning “to suffer with.” But the “passion” part of compassion also indicates a burning desire to see suffering relieved and evil overturned.
