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Today, 27th of September, we celebrate
Saint Vincent of Paul
1 Cor 12:12–14,27–31a
Brothers and sisters:
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
Now the body is not a single part, but many.
Now you are Christ's Body, and individually parts of it.
Some people God has designated in the Church
to be, first, Apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers;
then, mighty deeds;
then gifts of healing, assistance, administration,
and varieties of tongues.
Are all Apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?
Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing?
Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.
Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
R./ We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands;
serve the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R./ We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
Know that the Lord is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R./ We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him; bless his name.
R./ We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
For he is good, the Lord,
whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R./ We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
Lk 7:11-17
A little later Jesus went to a town called Naim and many of his disciples went with him-a great number of people. As he reached the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out. He was the only son of his mother and she was a widow; there followed a large crowd of townspeople.
On seeing her, the Lord had pity on her and said, "Don't cry." Then he came up and touched the stretcher and the men who carried it stopped. Jesus then said, "Young man, awake, I tell you." And the dead man got up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. A holy fear came over them all and they praised God saying, "A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people." This news spread out in the Jewish country and the surrounding places.
Dear friends,
The Widow of Nain: This passage, found only in Luke, expresses the deep sorrow and anguish of a widowed mother who has lost her only son. Jesus reacts with compassion (“When he saw her, his heart was filled with pity”). But it’s a compassion that leads to action: “Don’t cry,” he said, and then he touched the coffin, saying, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” And he gave him back to his mother.
This isn’t a sentimental kind of pity; it’s a compassion full of humanity and kindness, born from a heart overflowing with love for others and seeking their well-being in every way possible. The Pope says, “Mercy is a journey that starts in the heart and leads to the hands, to the works of mercy.”
How often do we read in the Gospels that Jesus has compassion on those who suffer and brings them relief through His words, actions, and miracles! Jesus is the perfect model of compassion because no one else has ever understood and responded to the pain and suffering of others like He did. That’s why the people’s reaction to this miracle is spot on: “A great prophet has appeared among us; God has come to help his people.”
Jesus’ compassion is our SALVATION today. That’s why the Risen Jesus continues to comfort those who suffer and raise the dead. He does this through His powerful Word and His Sacraments of grace. God has destined us for life, and Christ Jesus wants to continually share His life with us. Isn’t the sacrament of Reconciliation the present-day application of Jesus’ words, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”? Isn’t the Anointing of the Sick Christ Jesus drawing near to those who suffer, offering them relief and the strength of His Spirit? Isn’t the Eucharist, where we receive His Body and Blood, a guarantee of resurrection, as He promised us: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day”?
The passage about the raising of the widow’s son in Nain challenges us as well. If Jesus is infinitely compassionate toward us, we can’t remain indifferent to the pain and suffering of others. We must act towards them as Jesus did. When we encounter people who are suffering – because they’re lonely, sick, or in some way dead, and haven’t had a good break in life – what’s our reaction? Do we pass them by like those who ignored the man beaten by robbers, or do we act like the Good Samaritan who helped him? That was a parable Jesus told. Today’s story isn’t a parable: it’s His actual response to a real situation.
If we act like Jesus in the face of others’ pain, drawing near, offering comfort, and sharing hope, especially with young people (“Young man, get up!”), then we too become “salvation for others,” and the same reaction can be heard: “Surely God has come to help his people.” Charity makes us visible signs of Jesus because it’s the best language of the Gospel, the language everyone understands.
Your brother in faith,
José Luis Latorre Claretian MissionaryOur living God,
in you there is no contradiction
between unity and diversity,
for three divine persons are needed
to express you in full.
You enrich each of us with different gifts
and different personalities
by one and the same Holy Spirit.
Give each and all of us the mentality
of our one head and Lord Jesus Christ,
that together we may contribute
the riches and diversity of the talents given us
to build up the one body of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
First Reading Introduction
What makes the body beautiful—and functional at the same time—is the variety of its members. Variety does not mean factions (cf. yesterday), but a diversity of talents, charismas and functions to be coordinated for the good of the whole. But there lies its greatness and danger. Diversity is destructive or constructive, depending on the mentality of the owners of the different gifts. The point is that, in God's plan, we are not owners but stewards of God's gifts. What kind of stewards are we?
Gospel Introduction
In today's gospel, Luke tries to tell us that the time of salvation has come, for with Jesus, the blind begin to see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, and yes, the dead come back to life. With him, a new era has begun - God's era. It is the erain which we live. Do we make it an era of resurrection and life, in which our hands that reach out raise up our neighbors above their miseries? Do we make it an era in which we bring dead love back to life in Christ?
– That in all our variety, as different as we come, we may all be one in the one body of Christ, we pray:
– That the Eucharist may be the bond that binds us together, rich and poor, masters and servants, whatever social class or country we belong to, we pray:
– That the Holy Spirit may teach us to journey and to grow together as one community, we pray:
God our Father,
with bread and wine we celebrate
that we are one body in Christ.
Give us here a share in his one bread
and let us drink of the same Spirit.
Accept the one offering we bring you,
though we are many and diverse,
for we join the one sacrifice
offered once and for all
by our only Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
God our Father,
we are painfully aware
that your Church is often torn and divided,
with too many of us trying
to go their own tortuous ways
rather than the way of your Son.
By the strength of the bread of life of Jesus,
make us forget our grudges
and seek what binds us together
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
What a shame that real unity keeps escaping us! Different though we are from one another, we are one in Christ. Let the Spirit bind us together, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
