TENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C
EFFECTIVE AND
CONTAGIOUS
Surely one of the most beautiful
and moving passages in all the gospels, the narrative about the dead son of the
widow of Naim never fails to refresh us with the mercy of the Lord.
Jesus approaches the woman,
described as a widow and the mother of an only child, now dead. He did not know this woman before. But
Jesus saw something in her that made him stop and do something to help. The Lord
saw the tears. He said to her: do not
cry anymore.
In response to the tears, Jesus
was moved with mercy. Out of his mercy, he raised a dead man back to life. Mercy has power. Mercy is effective.
God’s mercy can bring back to life any thing in us that is dead, that is lost,
that we mourn for.
The woman represents many of us.
This “crying woman” reminds us of the “crying people” all around us. We cry
because of poverty, of sickness, the indifference of others, the hardships of
life, the pain of strained relationships, the hardness of heart of those around
us. Why don’t we show Jesus our
tears and see how he will touch us with his mercy? Who knows, a miracle will
soon happen in our lives.
But the mercy of Jesus was not
for display. It was not a momentary impulse of kindness. The mercy of Jesus
flowed into the lives of his disciples who, after the Resurrection, saw the
chance to multiply works of mercy to the many crying people they encountered.
After we have witnessed, and
truly experienced, the mercy of the Lord, are we also willing to wipe away the
tears of the people around us? His mercy is effective. We become alive and
hopefull because of it. His mercy is contagious. Do we feel the need to share
love and mercy to others, too?
