The Healing Journey

October 18, 2024

“Fear seized them all …”
— Luke 7:17

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus is known for the compassion he shows to the sick and the poor, to the disabled and the oppressed … and especially to those who are grieving.

We’re all familiar with the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, but not so much of the account of the widow of Nain, which appeared in the Gospel of Luke 7:11-17, which says:

“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.”

In only a few words, Luke shows the depth of Jesus’ compassion. He says the Lord “was moved with pity” and told the widow who had nothing, now that her husband and son were dead, “Do not weep.” Jesus merely touches the coffin, and the young man comes back to life and “Jesus gave him to his mother.”

Commenting on the passage, Bishop Robert Barron offers us another insight: “The death in the Gospel goes beyond the tragic loss of a loved one, as awful as that is. In the context of Jesus’ time and place, this is a disaster for the widow. There is no social safety net, no insurance, no guaranteed income. Unless she finds kindly neighbors who will support her, she is lost without her husband and, importantly, her only son. This is why the heart of Jesus is especially moved with pity.”

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Jesus knows our hearts, our fears and sorrows, and his pity is just as heartfelt for those who grieve … even though it has been two millennia since he walked the Earth.