Commentary: Elijah was a great prophet in the Old Testament. Signs and wonders accompanied his prophetic ministry, including raising someone from the dead in today’s first reading. The death of a child can be an unbearable tragedy. It is easy in the midst of a tragedy like this to blame God. Here the mother blamed Elijah, the “Man of God.” In doing so, she was probably looking for an escape—a way to put the blame for this horrible situation that was out of her control on someone else and ultimately on God. We have probably all been there. When tragedy strikes, we look for the escape and the scapegoat to attempt to offer us some consolation. In reality, though, the only true, lasting consolation will come from turning to the Lord and trusting in Him. Only God can offer us ultimate comfort and peace in the midst of tragedy and only God can bring about a greater good out of the bad we are facing. In today’s reading, we see that the greater good was for God to bring the dead son back to life, restoring to the mother what was lost, and revealing the power of God to her so that she might believe. God will not always give us back what we have lost, whether that be in the loss of a loved one or some other tragedy. But he can and will bring about a greater good from whatever tragedies we face. Let us, then, look for the good that God can bring out of our sufferings.
Commentary: In this portion of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians he recounts some of his conversion. Paul had been a zealous Jew. He was raised in Jerusalem and studied the Jewish law. As the Christian movement got underway after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, Paul became adamantly opposed to the followers of Jesus, viewing them as blasphemers. As a result, Paul “persecuted the Church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.” But, in the midst of all his rage against Christianity, leading him to travel to Damascus to arrest Christians, God broke through. The resurrected Lord appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus and transformed his life forever. What Paul had thought was a lie and contrary to the ways of God was revealed to him to be the truth. Therefore, he could say, “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.” And that gospel has been passed down from the apostles and preserved in the Church to this day. Thus, what we believe as Catholics is not man-made. It is not of “human origin.” Rather, it has its origin in God Himself. Therefore, we can trust the Church’s teachings. And, like Paul, we can allow the gospel to transform our lives and take us to places we never would have imagined. God wants to do a great work in your life. Will you let him?
Commentary: Today’s gospel account echoes the events in the first reading. Like Elijah, Jesus raised the dead son of a widow. The witnesses recognized the connection of this act with Elijah and responded by proclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst.” In other words, they saw Jesus as on par with Elijah, one of the great prophets of the Old Testament Scriptures. While Jesus certainly is a prophet, he is so much more. He is God in the flesh. He, therefore, has power over sin and death. In Jewish law, touching a dead body would have rendered that person ritually unclean for a week. Here, Jesus reversed that. In touching the dead man, he was not made unclean but the man was made clean and was brought back to life. Jesus then gave the man to his mother. The mother must have been overjoyed and tremendously relieved at the raising of her son, beside being in awe of Jesus’ act like the crowds. The death of her only son would have been utterly devastating for the widow, not only because of the loss of her child, but because she had already lost her husband, she would not have had a man to protect and provide for her needs, which was a necessity in that time. With the loss of her son, she likely would have become completely destitute. In fact, Jesus’ act of raising the son was initiated by the pity he had for the mother. Here, as opposed to other miracles, Jesus took the initiative, acting without first receiving a request for help. Jesus can work in the same way in your life. He already knows you pain and desolation. His reaction toward your suffering is pity and compassion, just like he had toward the mother. And he wants to bringing healing to your situation. He wants to give life wherever there is sin and death.
Taking it Home:
In the midst of whatever tragedies you are facing, look to Jesus for consolation and help.