Young man, I tell you, arise!

Gospel of the Day (Luke 7:11-17)

Soon afterward he 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.

***

Reflections:

"Young man, I tell you, arise!"

Let no one who is Christian doubt that even now dead people rise. Certainly, every human being has eyes by which he can see dead people rising in the way this widow's son whom we just heard about in the gospel rose. But not everyone can see people who are spiritually dead rise. For that, it is necessary to have already risen interiorly. It is greater to raise someone who is to live forever than to raise someone who will have to die again.

The young man's mother, this widow, was transported with joy at seeing her son rise. Our mother the Church also rejoices when she sees her children's spiritual resurrection every day. The widow's son was dead with the death of the body; but these latter are dead with the death of the soul. People wept tears over the visible death of the former; but people were not concerned by the invisible death of the latter; they didn't even see it. The only one who did not remain indifferent is the one who knew these deaths; only the one who could give life back to them knew these deaths. For if the Lord had not come to raise the dead, the apostle Paul would not have said: «Awake, O sleeper, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.» (Eph 5:14)