We had a visiting priest yesterday because Fr. Kevin was on retreat. An older retired priest, he is currently serving a six-month assignment at Little Flower in Middlebranch at the behest of the bishop.
His sermon was about the Sunday gospel which came from Luke. Here are some of the things the priest said about Luke. He is the only gentile among the gospel writers, and a disciple of Paul. He was a physician. And he is the only one of the gospel writers to venture past Jesus' appearances after his resurrection and then his return to His father. He wrote the Acts of the Apostles which chronicle the apostles after Jesus left them empowered with the Holy Spirit to travel among the peoples, minister to them, and bring the Good News. He was also the only one of the gospel writers to tell the story of the Widow of Nain.
Jesus went to Nain and immediately realized that there was a death. Father explained that there would be wailing which was the way that the Jews showed the depths of their despair when someone died. But Jesus also noticed that the widow was alone alongside the bier holding her dead son. She had no one, and back in Jesus' time, being a widow was a difficult existence. That's why widows and orphans are mentioned together, for so many times they were the forgotten. The previous two times that Jesus raised someone from death, it was because he was requested to do so. Jesus healed and returned to life the son of Jairus who asked for help. When Jesus went to the aid of Lazarus, it was because Martha and Mary, his sisters, said that if only Jesus had been there Lazarus would not have died. And Jesus wept because of the death of his friend, Lazarus, at that point dead four days.
This time no one asked Jesus to help the widow, but for some reason he was moved to do something on His own. Unlike Elisha who had to ask for God the Father's help in restoring life to the dead son of a widow, Jesus simply told the man to arise. The priest asked us to imagine the joy of that widow, the amazement of the townsfolk and their cries that, "a prophet is among us," and "God is here." It would certainly be amazing to a physician that Jesus could restore life, so no wonder he is the one gospel writer who was led by the Spirit to include it.
My granddaughter was riding in the car with me some months ago, and we talked about the miracles of Jesus. She remembered some of them, such as the crippled man. I told her about the paralyzed man who was lowered through the ceiling to where Jesus was and he was healed of his paralysis. Then I just casually mentioned that there are still miracles. That really got her attention. "There are? Like which ones?" she asked.
Oh, there are, and so many of them. Probably because we choose to recognize science so much, many miracles go unrecognized for what they are. Only people of faith see that God was at work, and sometimes it is when the physician himself or herself has absolutely no explanation.
During the years when I went to Magnificat breakfasts, we heard many speakers. One of the most memorable for me was a lady from New Orleans who had a large property. She hosted a Halloween party and had a hayride. Somehow she fell from the wagon and her ankle was snapped by the wheel of the tractor. She was in a bad way and the doctors were concerned about her leg. At the same time, a good friend came to her and said that she needed to go to Medjugorje with her. You can imagine her reaction -- are you kidding me? But the friend persisted and finally, she went. They climbed the mountain and there she met a man who asked about her. She told him about her leg. He asked to see her leg and he touched her ankle. The pilgrims spent the night on the mountain but she did not see the man again, and in the morning she realized that her leg was healed. She told others about the man, and they nodded in understanding -- he has been seen by many at Medjugorje. Was it Jesus? When the woman returned home, she had an x-ray of her ankle done and the doctors were absolutely amazed. Her leg wasn't just healed. There was no trace of the break at all!!! A miracle -- yes, definitely a miracle.
Thanks be to God who never abandons us and who loves us like no other and who believes in us like no other. For that is the most wonderful miracle.
And thanks be for those who love and serve the Lord, despite never seeing Him.
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