June 5, 2016

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Kings 17:17-24; Galatians 1: 11-19; Luke 7: 11-17
Elijah is an interesting life story for me today. King Ahab was offending God because he married a
foreign princess and like Solomon began to worship false gods. The Book of Kings describes this,
“Ahab…did evil in the sight of the Lord more than any of his predecessors…he even married Jezebel… and
went over to the veneration and worship of Baal.” Then Elijah appears on the scene suddenly,
unannounced, and declares that there will be a severe drought and no more rain will come until Ahab
repents. Elijah was living by a stream and ravens brought him bread and meat. When the stream
dried up, God sent him to Sidon where a widow took him in. She was about to cook the last meal for
her son and herself and Elijah asked her to share this…she did and the prophet promised that her oil
jug and supply of flour would not run dry until the Lord sends rain. We begin today’s reading. Elijah
prays for and brings the widow’s son back to life. She now declares Elijah to be a true man of God.
And Elijah must understand that a man of God is an agent of life.
Each of us is called to go outside of ourselves…to realize that the purpose of our existence is to
praise God and care and help others. Before we can do that we have to be aware of others and their
need. Did Elijah have any indication that he would be placed in these situations? No. He made
himself open by being an agent of God. What does this mean? An agent of God is one who realizes
that life is a gift and is precious. It is one who lives his/her life by being aware of where others are
hurting and in need. It is one who realizes that responding to needs and others is God’s call and part
of God’s plan for each of us. Elijah paid attention to the widow and her son and to the need that the
people had for leadership.
We hear the story of Paul. He was a student, a scholar who was focused on God’s word. It’s one
thing to read and study Scripture
but scripture is a living testament of God’s care and love. It shows His plan for each person and
how each one is to be a living instrument of His love. Paul realized this and accepted the call to
proclaim Jesus to the Gentiles. Paul had been so stuck in his ways and his beliefs that it was all
about him. But God’s encounter with him showed that it was not about him but about God and
living a life according to His plan. This means ‘not my way but God’s way’ through the gifts and
grace that He bestows on each person. I find that I have to be constantly examining myself and see if
I am concentrating on my way or on God’s way. The book, Compassion, A Reflection on the
Christian Life puts it this way: “A vocation is not the exclusive privilege of monks, priests, religious sisters,
or a few heroic laypersons. God calls everyone who is listening; there is not an individual or group for whom
God’s call is reserved. But to be effective, a call must be heard, and to hear it we must continually discern our
vocation amidst the escalating demands of our career.”
We come to a tragic situation in the Gospel. Jesus is ‘walking along’ and encounters a funeral
procession of a man who had recently died. His mother was a widow and this was her only son.
This means that she will be in a precarious situation without anyone to protect and care for her. She
would be forced to be a beggar to survive. Jesus stops the procession…the widow did not ask for
Jesus’ help. This is one of the very few times in Scripture that Jesus heals without being asked.
Luke shares this important line for me today, “When the Lord saw her, He was moved with pity for her and
said to her, ‘Do not weep.” Then he touched the coffin and the dead son got up and began to speak and
Jesus gave him to his mother.
Jesus and Elijah paid attention to people in need. Paul was sent to pay attention to the Gentiles
completing the Gospel plan that all are called. Another word for ‘pity’ is ‘compassion.’ This
beautiful expression “to be moved with pity” or “ to be moved with compassion” appears only
twelve times in the Gospels and is used exclusively in reference to Jesus or His Father. The Greek
word used is very deep and powerful. It means the ‘entrails of the body’ today we would say ‘the
guts’. This is where our most sensitive and intense emotions are located. ‘We spill out guts’…’it
came from my very guts.’ This phrase used in Scripture tells me the depth of the intimacy that God
has for me and for every person. This includes the people I love and those I really can’t seem to
love…it includes those I know and do not know…it includes everyone. AND I am called as each
person is to be an ‘agent of God.’ Jesus showed us that He chose in total freedom to suffer fully our
pains and thereby let us discover the true nature of our own passions. So the question and the
reflection that is prime for me this weekend is to look at myself and those God has placed in my life:
am I compassionate? Do I treat them with the respect and love that Jesus showed to each person He
encountered especially those displaced, smelly, diseased, forgotten, despised people that He touched
with healing and love?
I will share some ‘one-liners’ from the book Compassion, A reflection on the Christian Life, that
continue to help me in my journey.
“Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion,
and anguish.”
“Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with
those in tears.”
“Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the
powerless.”
“Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.”
“Compassion is more than a general kindness or tenderheartedness.”
“Compassion is not among our most natural responses. We are pain-avoiders and we consider anyone who
feels saturated to suffering abnormal, or at least very unusual.”
And the big one for me: “National and international events, deeper study of the Scriptures and the many
critical responses of friends, have made us less confident about our ‘compassionate tendencies’ and more
aware of the radical quality of Jesus’ command: ‘Be compassionate as your Father is
compassionate.’ This command does not restate the obvious, something we already wanted but had
forgotten, an idea in line with our natural aspirations. On the contrary it is a CALL that goes right against the
grain; that turns us completely around and requires a total conversion of heart and mind. It is indeed a radical
call, a call that goes to the roots of our lives.” So I reflect on:
• In what ways have I felt God’s compassion in my life?
• Who is in need around me at this time? What can I offer?
• When have I felt as if all is lost, as if nothing or no one could help me? Where did I receive the
help I needed, despite the desperate circumstances? Stay with the gratitude that this elicits now.
And I next reflect what this has taught me on how I express my gratitude to God.
• “In prayer we meet Christ, and in Him all human suffering. In service we meet people, and in them the
suffering Christ.” Where is this leading me?