Tuesday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
(I Corinthians 12:12-14.27-31a; Luke 7:11-17)
As difficult as it is for a parent to bury a child, it is
even more difficult if the woman is a widow and the child an only one. This may well be the case in today’s gospel
passage. It is said that Jesus, having pity
for the forlorn, tells the widow not to weep.
Then, like the prophets Elijah and Elisha, he brings the son back to
life and presents him to his mother.
God forbid that we lose an only child, but we may be sure of
some setbacks in our lives. Perhaps we will
be diagnosed with a life-threatening disease or maybe one of our children will undergo
a serious injury. We too may feel forlorn
and distressed. Fortunately, we can
count on the Lord’s help. One couple gave
birth to a son with multiple defects that doctors doubted could save his
life. The couple along with numerous
family and friends prayed for the baby.
After numerous operations the child survived and grew. Now around twenty
years later he has handicaps but testifies to the Lord’s power over death.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we should never give up hope
in desperate situations. When we ask for
his mercy, we can count on his help. Be
it the removal of the threat or the fortitude to endure it, he will come to our
aid.
