“DO NOT WEEP”
Meditation
for Tuesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time
(1 Tim
3:1-13; Lk 7:11-17)
On entering the city of Nain, Jesus and His companions met
a crowd of mourners moving off the city to bury a young man, the only son of a
widow. Being a widow, the woman was in a painful hopeless situation. All the
mourners around her could not wipe away her tears. Obviously, she had no reason
to live, for that which she lived for had been taken away from her. “And when
the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “DO NOT WEEP.”
The consoling words of Jesus flowed from the depths of His heart,
the compassionate heart of Jesus that bleeds at the pain and agony which sin
had brought upon humanity. When Jesus said to her, ‘do not weep’, it was as if
He was telling her to allow Him weep on her behalf, for that was what He did on
the Cross. Thus, the compassion of Jesus is a participation of His life in the
situation of the believer. He does not comfort us from a safe disinterested
distance; He is GOD WITH US, who dwells among us and shares life with us. As we
meditate on the encounter of Jesus and the widow of Nain, we come to understand
deeper what He meant when He said, “Blessed are those who mourn; they shall be
comforted” (Mt 5:5).
Then, Jesus said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” The dead
man got up and began to speak. Their mourning turned to joy and jubilation.
They began to testify, saying, “God has visited his people!” That is why we
shall bring all our tears to Jesus, the Comforter, that He may say to us this
day, “Do not weep.” Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Tuesday September 19, 2023.
