I can only try to imagine the pain the widow of Nain (I will call her Rachael) must have felt as she prepared to bury her only son after losing her husband. She must have been grieving, experiencing emotions such as depression and hopelessness. Physically, she might have been unable to sleep or eat, and potentially feeling the ache of the losses throughout her body. Was she still in shock over the death of her husband, compounded by the death of her son? Did she wake up each morning, hoping to find both deaths were nothing more than a bad dream?
I can see Rachael turning to God for comfort and praying with the Psalms. She might have pleaded to God to keep her safe (Ps 16:1) or reminded God of his promise to defend widows (Ps 68:5). If she were a devout Jew, she would have ended her prayer by thanking God for caring for her and expressing confidence that God was already working to answer her. She would have trusted God to respond, but I doubt she imagined God showing up through the man named Jesus of Nazareth.
Luke tells his audience that when Jesus saw Rachael, he was moved with pity (Lk 7:13). In the original language of this gospel (Greek), pity means a visceral, deep-felt sense of compassion. Said another way, Jesus felt her pain so deeply within himself that he could not simply express empathy (Oh, I am so sorry this happened to you.); he knew he had to take action, so he did.
Jesus returned to Rachel, her son, and transformed everything. I imagine her spending the rest of her life praising God and telling anyone who would listen how she moved from feeling hopeless to rejoicing in just one day because God sent a great prophet to respond to her distress.
My takeaway from the reading is the importance of prayer, responding to suffering, and noticing how God shows up. In the face of pain and suffering, mine or someone else’s, this reading encourages me to keep asking God to intercede, no matter how hopeless I perceive the situation. Why? Because God wants to be invited into the joys and sorrows of life. The only requirement of me is to ask for help, and trust that God will show up, especially in the midst of extreme human suffering.
I also hear that God hopes I experience a visceral, deep-felt sense of compassion that moves me toward seeking the greater good, such as reconciliation, restoration of human dignity, etc.. Jesus’ response to the widow is huge, but no action is too small or insignificant. With God’s help, simply attempting to shift the tone of one conversation, offer words of encouragement to a worker in God’s vineyard, or just one invitation for dialogue can change the world.
Finally, I never want to underestimate what is possible, and I want to be attentive to the infinite ways God chooses to surprise the world. Any casual meeting, even one at a city gate, has the potential of becoming a miraculous encounter with Love (Lk 7:12) that transforms everything.
Reflection Question: How does this reading inspire you?
A great prophet has arisen, and God has visited his people. Ps 101.
Gladyce Janky
I joined the School of Pharmacy and Health Profession as a chaplain in 2015, subsequently working in the Law and Graduate Schools and Heider College of Business. I continued working with distance graduate students after moving to Sun City, AZ, in 2021. I transitioned to my current life phase in July 2023, when I retired. I am a graduate of the CSP program with two master’s degrees and hold certificates in the History of the Ignatian Tradition and Spiritual Direction and Directed Retreats.
Writing reflections helps me break open the transformative power of scripture. The message is alive and relevant to me when I put myself into the story. Jesus is not just “back there.” He is here accompanying me. I share what I write with others to invite them to listen to how God is inviting them to greater spiritual freedom.
