19th Sunday after Pentecost
The Widow of Nain

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Today the Saviour raises the son of the widow of the village of Nain. A long time ago I saw where this village is – near the foot of Mount Tabor where the Transfiguration happened. I remember hearing about this miracle from my childhood, and I was very impressed with the Lord’s ability to raise someone from the dead. I did not understand the whole picture at that time, because I was only little. I did not have much experience of life, and what it meant to this woman to lose her only son. I was just impressed with how He could raise someone from the dead. The same thing went with the raising of Lazarus: it really impressed me. I suppose this impresses many people in the same way still to this day – raising someone from the dead. It’s a wonderful thing. People generally think of this miracle as some kind of magic, or some kind of “ability”, and say: You can just do it. In fact, the Saviour did do it. However, it was not because of some kind of ability – as we have “ability”. It was because of WHO HE IS that made this happen – the raising of people from the dead. He proclaims WHO HE IS: the One who loves people into life, and speaks them into existence. That is WHO HE IS. So, when He is giving life to the son of the widow of Nain, He is doing it because of compassion, because He loves, and because He is WHO HE IS.

It is important to remember, by the way, that it was a horrible thing for this woman to lose her only son, a young man. At that time, there was no such thing as welfare, and it meant that it was the end of a normal life for her. It meant that she had no-one to look after her any more, and she would have to go out on the street, and beg for anything, and everything in order to live. It was a big catastrophe that happened to this woman. The Lord, out of compassion for her, gave her son back to her.

Sometimes in situations like that, having compassion, we would like to help in the same way. But the problem is that for you, and me, if we could do such a thing (because we are who we are, and the Lord is who He is), always it would turn into a point of pride for us, and we would start to make money on raising people from the dead. We would say: Look at what I can do, and what I can do for you! This is how we are. This is not at all to say that raising people from the dead has not happened since the Saviour Himself did it, because we have seen it happening in Apostolic times – for example, those in the New Testament. And it is not to say that it has not happened since then either, because in the course of these last two thousand years, this raising from the dead has happened many, many times. Nevertheless, it is never because any one person “can do it” or “make it happen”. It always only happens when there is a reason for it to happen – when the Lord wants it to happen. It happens when people are not expecting it.

I remember one account where a priest had a call to a home where there was a newly-born child that was going to die. He ran quickly to the home in order to baptise the child before it should die. However, the child did die before he got there. He was concerned about the family, so he did what one should never do: he baptised the dead child. The child lived after that. This didn’t happen because he “could do it”, or anything else. This happened because God loves us with unimaginable, unthinkable love, and He knows what we need. He knew that for some reason this baby had to live, and this family had to have this baby, and He inspired this priest to do what he shouldn’t do. The baby lived, and God was glorified.

This is how it is with us. Everything in our lives has to be referred to, and about, the Lord only. The Apostle Paul was talking today about his own experience when he was caught up into heaven while he was praying, and the joy, and the wonder he felt in being there. The consequence of it was that he was feeling strength, and determination to bring people to the same love of Jesus Christ. The way of the Christian is the way of love, the way of compassion. We live in love with the Lord, Himself, and it is the experience of this love that sustains you, and me through all kinds of difficulties, and sometimes excruciating, painful situations in our lives. This love enables us to be faithful to the Saviour, to be open to His healing love, to be ready to follow Him in the Way of Life. He is the Way. He is the Life. He is the only Truth.

The Lord may not give to you or to me to be someone who raises people from the dead. However, He gives us His love, and it is certain that He gives to you, and to me to share the Life that is His, the love that is His to those around us. This sharing of His love brings life to hearts that are deadened, to lives that are broken, and hope to those who are in distress. This love which propels you, and me to do irrational things sometimes, likewise gives hope to those around us. We can give life in Christ to those around us. To Him be glory, together with His Father, who is from everlasting, and His all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

† Archdiocese of Canada - Orthodox Church in America