She was distraught when her husband died. She had no work, no income, had a son to raise, and now she was a single parent. She took odd jobs just to feed her son. Finally, her son was old enough to work and keep them both alive. But her son got sick and died. The pain was just too much to bear. Jesus heard her wailing. Moved with pity, He restored her son back to life. Don’t you wish all tragedies had this kind of happy ending?

I don’t know what you’re going through, but Jesus does. He hears your muffled cries that wet your pillow. He feels the heaviness in your sighs that weigh a ton. He sees your eyes swollen from tears. He bears the weight of the world so that it doesn’t crush you. He carries it like the heavy cross on His back.

Hang on. He isn’t deaf. Believe He will answer you in His perfect time. He isn’t done writing your happy ending. Ronna Ledesma (ronna_ledesma@yahoo.com.ph)

Reflect:

“God is too wise to be mistaken. God is too good to be unkind. So when you don’t understand, when you don’t see His plan, when you can’t trace His hand, trust His heart.” (Babbie Mason)

Lord, You have collected all my tears in a bottle. I know You will never abandon me. That’s all I need to know.

Saint Januarius, bishop and martyr, pray for us.

More than being effective, Paul is interested in how holy Church leaders are, how closely they imitate Jesus in the way they live. As St. Teresa of Calcutta said, “God calls us to be faithful, not successful.” Effectiveness is not that important to God. What matters is that we try to be faithful in imitating Jesus. He will take care of the rest.

¹ Beloved: this saying is trustworthy: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. ² Therefore, a bishop must be irreproachable, married only once, temperate, self-controlled, decent, hospitable, able to teach; ³ not a drunkard, not aggressive, but gentle, not contentious, not a lover of money. ⁴ He must manage his own household well, keeping his children under control with perfect dignity; ⁵ for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of the Church of God? ⁶ He should not be a recent convert, so that he may not become conceited and thus incur the devil’s punishment. ⁷ He must also have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, the devil’s trap. ⁸ Similarly, deacons must be dignified, not deceitful, not addicted to drink, not greedy for sordid gain, ⁹ holding fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. ¹⁰ Moreover, they should be tested first; then, if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. ¹¹ Women, similarly, should be dignified, not slanderers, but temperate and faithful in everything. ¹² Deacons may be married only once and must manage their children and their households well. ¹³ Thus those who serve well as deacons gain good standing and much confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 101:1-2, 2-3, 5, 6

R: I will walk with a blameless heart.

¹ Of mercy and judgment I will sing; to you, O Lord, I will sing praise. ² I will persevere in the way of integrity; when will you come to me? (R) I will walk with blameless heart, within my house; ³ I will not set before my eyes any base thing. (R) ⁵ Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I destroy. The man of haughty eyes and puffed-up heart I will not endure. (R) ⁶ My eyes are upon the faithful of the land that they may dwell with me. He who walks in the way of integrity shall be in my service. (R)

Gospel | Luke 7:11-17

Jesus always shows His love by His actions. He consoles the widow and then raises her son from the dead. Jesus’ ultimate act of love was His death on the cross for us. We may not be asked to show our love by dying for someone, nor can we raise someone from the dead. But we can show our love by being compassionate and kind. Everyone knows a “widow” who needs to be consoled. It could be your unemployed neighbor, or a lonely relative, or a friend in need. Let us learn from Jesus how to love through our actions.

Gospel Acclamation

A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people.

¹¹ Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. ¹² As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁴ He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” ¹⁵ The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. ¹⁶ Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst,” and “God has visited his people.” ¹⁷ This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.

Read the Bible in one year! Read PSALMS 126 - 130 today.

Jesus brought back to life the son of the widow from Nain. He empathized with the mother for her loss. Jesus was aware that, in a patriarchal Jewish society, she was also losing more in terms of identity and status. The people who witnessed the event was in awe and saw in Jesus the loving and compassionate God. They saw Him as a great prophet bringing the Good News and the healing grace of God.

God indeed visits us. His presence does not only consist of giving us the graces we need but also of our challenges and sufferings. Anything that strengthens our faith and moves us closer to Him are epiphanies of His visitations. God’s presence is always a decision event. When we are faced with temptations, He is there to enlighten, strengthen, and inspire us to reject them. At the same time, it is an occasion to reveal His glory to us. Do we choose Him or the devil? The choice should be easy, but let’s admit it, we fail a lot of times. The weakness of our faith fails in the face of temptations.

Does God desert us? This is an important question. In fact, it is the claim of so many. The truth is, God does not desert us. We are the ones who desert Him.

A young man came to me to reconcile with God. He started being away from God when he could not pass his board exams. After trying three times, he lost hope. He claimed he did everything—prayers, sacrifices, and reviewing. Still he failed. He could not understand why. He could not forgive God for his fate. He stopped going to Mass, lived an immoral life, disrespected his parents, and cursed God. He was lonely. Lately, he realized it was wrong and he got terribly sick. Then he remembered God. He realized he could not live without Him. He humbled himself and sought to reconcile with Him. He was in tears. He found peace!

I told him God always wants our good and there’s a reason why he failed. It was the best opportunity to be more faithful. The more he was in need, the more he must depend on God. God visited him during those times. But he ignored those visits. Worse, he left God. It was, however, not too late for him. God visited him again. This time he knew. God blessed him. And He returned to God. Fr. Benny Tuazon

Reflection Questions:

How do you react when God does not answer your prayer the way you want it? Do you easily desert Him and turn to other gods?

Strengthen my faith in You, Lord. Help me to trust in Your best plans for me. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ______________________________________