Gospel Reading for September 17, 2024 – Luke 7: 11-17
TRUE FOLLOWERS
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 withh 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.
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In slang, the situation was a DOUBLE WHAMMY. She already lost her husband, and now she also lost an only son. How could Jesus not be moved to perform a miracle? Being God’s only Son, this act of charity of Jesus tells us a lot about the kind of Father God we have. He is always moved with compassion whenever we are suffering. We may think he doesn’t care at all because we expect miracles to drop down from heaven. But after Jesus left, miracles have happened because of people who are TRUE FOLLOWERS of Jesus. We are endowed with all the beautiful attributes of God, one of which is COMPASSION. Our acts of COMPASSION cause miracles to happen to those who suffer.
Take for example the OFW in the Middle East who was battered by her employer for two years, and because of the extreme suffering, and being told by the local agency that locked her up for 1 month and told her she can no longer go back to the Philippines, she thought of jumping off the building. But, she thought of her 4-yr. old son, and instead, ceaselessly prayed to God for help. When the agency “sold” her to another employer, she took the chance, using the internet to send her pictures and documents to a cousin who brought all these to the OWWA office, which immediately had her rescued. Because she was threatened by the agency to be picked up at the airport before she can even board, the local police escorted her to the plane back to the Philippines.
Who performed the miracle? The agency that unknowingly gave her the chance for a getaway, the cousin who brought her pictures and documents to the OWWA office which expediently rescued her, including the local police. But most of all, her ceaseless prayers made all these happen. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances…” (1 Thessalonians 5: 16)
Yes, Lord, we are your instruments in making miracles happen in this world!
