Homily notes

Story of woman and her young son:

Focus of the story: the widow; not the dead son

  • A woman has no place in society except through her relationship with her husband or her son.
  • She is grieving not only at the loss of her only son; she is also about to be abandoned by society, destitute, thrown out.

In today’s gospel story, we never find out much about the son; whether he died from disease, violence, involved in a crime, accident. All we know is that a large crowd accompanied the woman.

This story is all about Jesus’ relationship with the mother.

Jesus stops; recognizes her despair; has compassion on HER; touches the bier and says to the young man, “young man, I say to you, rise!”

The dead man sat up and began to speak.

JESUS GAVE HIM BACK TO HIS MOTHER!

The story is all about Jesus and his compassion for widows in his society.

Not surprising: Jewish tradition: care for widows, orphans and aliens was deeply imbedded into their history and tradition.

Story of God’s relationship to widows is echoed in today’s first reading:

Widow of Zerapath and her only son who had died.

We know more about this widow. This widow in a foreign land; earliershe had shared her last bit of home-made bread with this prophet from Israel. She opens her home in hospitality for to Elijah.

Today’s reading begins a year later; her son has died; she is abandoned, distraught and in despair. God had pity on her by having the prophet breathe life back into her son’s body.

My brothers and sisters, these stories are not just about what happened during the time of Jesus and the prophets thousands of years ago. These stories reveal to us the very heart of God towards us NOW. The risen Lord continues to have compassion on all people, especially on the orphans, and widows and aliens of our day.

When we look at the role of women in our society today, they have it much better than the women of Jesus’ time. Yet, if you are a widow or a single woman raising a family and

  • make only 72% of the wage that men do,
  • if you often had the burden of raising children on your own,
  • if you live in an area where public transportation is scarce and you do not own a car,
  • if the grocery stores near you sell inferior or overpriced items,
  • if your sons begin to run with gangs because single mothers have to work long hours and cannot be home to keep an eye on them,

then you KNOW that the plight of single women is still very real.

Jesus’ action toward widows and orphans and aliens helps us to understand why, when Pope Francis visited the Turkey recently, he took 12 familiesin refugee camps from Syria back to live with him in Vatican City. It is by modeling the words and actions of Jesus that Pope Francis boldly stated that people who build walls simply to keep others out of their countries are not Christians. As a disciple of Jesus, Pope Francis is following his example: first, he speaks with compassion and the truth of the Gospel; then he acts with mercy.

What about those of us who are Jesus’ disciples who may come from a strong family life, decent education, strong neighborhoods. What are we to do? We are to follow Jesus. First, we need to have compassion on those who are widows, orphans and aliens, and not simply build walls and live in enclosed communities and neighborhoods where only the privileged can afford to live.

Pause

I sometime look at our faith community here at Corpus Christi and wonder if we are involved in too many outreach activities:

  • our care to those in need through St. Vincent de Paul
  • our support of our sister church in MirabelaisHaiti through the Haiti Outreach Mission
  • Conducting two summer camps for children in our neighborhood
  • Participating with O’Hair Park community association working to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood
  • Giving assistance for those seeking employment
  • Assisting those in need in the rural South through Reach Camp trips
  • Sharing gifts through Advent giving tree
  • Counseling those facing foreclosure on their homes through the work of New Hope Non Profit Housing and Community Association
  • Providing neighborhood youth activities through the Northwest Detroit Youth Coalition
  • Holding a Lenten soup luncheon
  • Allowing young men in our community to assist each other through participating in the Better Men Outreach Program

Yet, after reflecting on all the activities I say YES, these are ways we show compassion towards widows, orphans and aliens in our midst.

I am reminded of a true story I heard last week from a young adult man from Better Men Outreach in our neighborhood: He never knew his father; his mother is addicted to drugs. He taught himself how to walk and how to ride a bike. I saw in him the same search for meaning and desire for compassion which Jesus saw in the eyes of the woman burying her only son in today’s gospel.

As the Body of Christ, we need to show compassion;

reach out wherever we can;

and speak out as we seek a just society.

(PAUSE)

Jesus stopped, had compassion on the woman, touched the bier and said, “Young man, I say to you, arise! Then he gave him back to his mother.

Now Go! and do the same.