The good news for the day June 5
Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (90)
Jesus arrived at the city of Nain with his students and a significant number of the public following along with him. When He was nearing the city gate, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, who was a widow. It was a big funeral procession. When the One in charge spotted her, he felt compassion for her and said to her, “Do not cry.” He stepped forward and he touched the coffin; when he did this, the pallbearers stopped; He said, “Young man, to you, I say: Get up!” The dead man sat up and started speaking; Jesus gave him to his mother. A reverent dread seized them all; they turned to appreciate God, crying out “A great man of God has appeared in our midst, “and “God has visited his people.” This story about him spread throughout Judea and in the whole neighborhood. (Luke 7)
The Gospel miracles do not just record interesting history—a script for a docudrama. Like poetry, the Gospels suggest something hidden in our common humanity, waiting to appear or emerge. I call it a felt and common truth that eventually you come to know. You may know already, but sometimes truth comes as revelation. It surprises us—a felt something you did not know and now you do.
Jesus comes to Nain, sees a funeral procession. The evangelist adds context—the dead man had provided support for his widowed mother. She is crying for good reasons. Jesus brings the corpse back to life and, basically, hands him back to his mother.
So what? What is the truth that waits to be revealed? Jesus (and you) can have compassion for a stranger. This stranger exhibits no faith (unlike the centurion), expresses no belief in Jesus, and we find no conflict with authorities. Jesus does a simple kindness—doing what He can for someone who needed it. That is perhaps THE Good News here—to do whatever we can—a miracle happens—when we see a need right in front of us.
jorisheise 