Do not weep

Sisters and brothers in Christ, in today's (9/13) Gospel, when he brings the man back to life, Jesus shows us that he has the power to heal us and make us whole again. And while many of us desire physical healing from ailments and illnesses, I believe that God uses those times to help us heal spiritually as well, to grow deeper in our relationship with him.

When we are spiritually dead, when we no longer believe in God or pray, when we no longer ponder the transcendent and eternal life, we separate ourselves from God. As a result, we lose a sense of who we are and our purpose. We lose hope. The Good News is Jesus comes to us each and every day to save us from this spiritual death if we would only allow him to do so, if only we open our hearts and hear Jesus tell us, "Do not weep." Our Lord and our God is moved with pity for us.

Moreover, when we unite our physical suffering with Christ suffering on the Cross, we receive an outpouring of grace not only to help us in our physical suffering but also to help us and others heal spiritually through prayer, just as Jesus did when interceded to his Father in heaven, saying: "Father, forgive them. . ."

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Gospel of the Day

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.