June 9, 2013

Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 1 Kgs 17:17-24

Elijah went to Zarephath of Sidon to the house of a widow.
The son of the mistress of the house fell sick,
and his sickness grew more severe until he stopped breathing.
So she said to Elijah,
“Why have you done this to me, O man of God?
Have you come to me to call attention to my guilt
and to kill my son?”
Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.”
Taking him from her lap, he carried the son to the upper room
where he was staying, and put him on his bed.
Elijah called out to the LORD:
“O LORD, my God,
will you afflict even the widow with whom I am staying
by killing her son?”
Then he stretched himself out upon the child three times
and called out to the LORD:
“O LORD, my God,
let the life breath return to the body of this child.”
The LORD heard the prayer of Elijah;
the life breath returned to the child’s body and he revived.
Taking the child, Elijah brought him down into the house
from the upper room and gave him to his mother.
Elijah said to her, “See! Your son is alive.”
The woman replied to Elijah,
“Now indeed I know that you are a man of God.
The word of the LORD comes truly from your mouth.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Reading 2 Gal 1:11-19

I want you to know, brothers and sisters,
that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin.
For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it,
but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

For you heard of my former way of life in Judaism,
how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure
and tried to destroy it, and progressed in Judaism
beyond many of my contemporaries among my race,
since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions.
But when God, who from my mother’s womb had set me apart
and called me through his grace,
was pleased to reveal his Son to me,
so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles,
I did not immediately consult flesh and blood,
nor did I go up to Jerusalem
to those who were apostles before me; 
rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus.

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem
to confer with Cephas and remained with him for fifteen days.
But I did not see any other of the apostles,
only James the brother of the Lord.

Gospel Lk 7:11-17

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain,
and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.
As he drew near to the gate of the city,
a man who had died was being carried out,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.
A large crowd from the city was with her.
When the Lord saw her,
he was moved with pity for her and said to her,
“Do not weep.”
He stepped forward and touched the coffin;
at this the bearers halted,
and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!”
The dead man sat up and began to speak,
and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming,
“A great prophet has arisen in our midst, ”
and “God has visited his people.”
This report about him spread through the whole of Judea
and in all the surrounding region.

Regnum Christi

From Death to Life

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Father Matthew Kaderabek, LC

Luke 7: 11-17

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, "Do not weep." He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!" The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, "A great prophet has arisen in our midst," and "God has visited his people." This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.

Introductory Prayer: Jesus, what a joy and what a gift to have this time to be with you alone! I want to know you more deeply. I want to hope in you more firmly. I want to love you with greater constancy in my daily life. Only you can give me these gifts. Only you can make me a bold and joyful apostle of your Kingdom.

Petition: Lord Jesus, help me to appreciate and remain in the state of grace.

1. Compassionate and Merciful: Surrounded by many enthusiastic followers, Jesus encounters a funeral procession as he approaches the city gate. He stops walking, he stops his conversation, and he shifts his full attention to the grieving mother who has lost her only son. Luke explains that Jesus was “moved with pity.” Jesus, in his human nature, felt much compassion for this grieving woman. He “feels her pain.” How much more does Jesus in his divine nature comprehend the pain—physical, emotional or spiritual—that each of us encounters in our daily lives. As in the case of this widow, he meets each of us with compassion and will work a miracle if we let him. Sometimes the miracle is that he relieves our pain, as he does for the widow in this Gospel passage. But sometimes the miracle is that he forgives our sins or strengthens us to bear our pain for his sake, and for the sake of bringing more souls to eternal happiness in his kingdom.

2. The Church’s Joy: The Church, often called “Mother Church,” rejoices when her sinful children return to a life of grace through the sacrament of confession. Saints Ambrose and Augustine saw this Gospel story as reflecting this truth. St. Ambrose tells us that the Church is a mother who intercedes for each one of her children like the widow for her only son (Commentary on Saint Luke’s Gospel, V, 92). Saint Augustine points out: “The widowed mother rejoiced at the raising of that young man… Our Mother the Church rejoices every day when people are raised again in spirit. The young man had been dead physically; the latter, dead spiritually. The young man’s death was mourned visibly; the death of the latter was invisible and unmourned. He seeks them out who knew them to be dead; only he can bring them back to life” (Sermons, 98, 2).

3. Raised from Spiritual Death: Christ, in his endless mercy, wants eternal life for each one of us. The treasury of his compassion is inexhaustible, as Saint Faustina tells us. In his mercy, Jesus gave his earthly, ministerial priests the power to forgive sins (John 20:22-23). When our venial sins are confessed and forgiven, we receive more grace (a greater share in the divine life of the Trinity) and draw closer to Christ, receiving strength to avoid mortal sin. When our mortal sins are confessed and forgiven, we not only receive grace and draw closer to Christ, but we are raised from the worst kind of fate, namely, spiritual death, the eternal death of our soul. Praise God! No wonder Mother Church rejoices.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, through confession, I can be sure that I am forgiven, and you restore peace to my soul. Do not allow my pride and my shame ever to keep me from taking advantage of this beautiful sacrament, the sacrament of freedom.

Resolution: I will spend at least five minutes examining my conscience today and begin preparing my next confession, which I will go to this week.

One Bread, One Body

<< Sunday, June 9, 2013 >>

10th Sunday Ordinary Time

1 Kings 17:17-24
Galatians 1:11-19
View Readings

Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13
Luke 7:11-17

FUNERAL HOME FAITH

"The Lord heard the prayer of Elijah; the life breath returned to the child's body and he revived." —1 Kings 17:22

Jesus interrupted a funeral procession, touched the litter, and said: " 'Young man, I bid you get up.' The dead man sat up" (Lk 7:14-15). He also raised Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:43ff). Moreover, He promised we would do greater by far than He (Jn 14:12), and commanded us to "raise the dead" (Mt 10:8). Peter likewise raised the dead (Acts 9:40). Even Elijah and Elisha in the old covenant could raise the dead (1 Kgs 17:22; 2 Kgs 4:32ff; 13:21).

Modern Christians try to explain away the obvious Biblical teaching that followers of Jesus are to raise the dead. Although not everything in the Bible is intended to be taken literally, we have no indication in the Biblical text that references to raising the dead should be taken any other way. Those who have tried to raise the dead after discerning this to be the will of God have found that Jesus keeps His promises to give us power to fulfill His commands. However, most Christians have not had the faith to give it a try.

His "grace is sufficient," even to raise the dead. Trust Him.

Prayer: Father, may I not change the Bible to fit my limitations but change my life to fit the Bible's expectations.

Promise: "The gospel I proclaimed to you is no mere human invention. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I schooled in it. It came by revelation from Jesus Christ." —Gal 1:11-12

Praise: Praise Jesus, Whose grace is sufficient to help us carry the crosses of our lives! "Sing praise to the Lord, you His faithful ones, and give thanks to His holy name" (Ps 30:5).

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