In the name the Father and Son, the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.
Today, we start together a new series of biblical contemplations where we meditate on a passage and uncover a spiritual message to live by. Today, we'll contemplate on the raising of the widow's son in the city of Nain. This spiritually meaningful passage is in the Gospel according to St. Luke, chapter 7, verses 11 to 17. The Gospel reads the following:
'' 11 Now it happened, the day after, that He [who is Christ] went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. 12 And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her.'' (Luke 7:11-12)
An important detail from the get-go is the meaning of Nain. Nain means beautiful or pleasant. So, from the first two verses, we find attention in the passage between our expectations as readers and the events that are taking place. The city whose people should be living a pleasant and beautiful life are in pain and misery. Instead of a pleasant life, we find sorrow and death. In other words, the city was created by God to be pleasant, to be a paradise, but since humans sinned and kicked out God from their city, sin took over and death prevailed.
So, the woman representing here the Old Testament Church was left without her God, without her spouse, her loved one. She was a widow whose absent spouse is the source of life and beauty Himself. Therefore, the city's beauty was overtaken by the people's separation from God, which ultimately led to much pain.
This pain is accentuated by the fact that this boy is the only son of the woman. It was a disastrous situation. But this story is not only about the son's physical death. There's another layer to the story. Notice how the Bible says the dead man was being carried out. He's being carried outside of the beautiful city. A son of the Church who was meant to enjoy his spiritual life within the city of God is being cast out by a large crowd. This large crowd in this meditation represents society, if you will, that is carrying the son of the woman, the son of the Church, outside of God's city.
But the Son of God will not let this be. He was incarnate to come and save the Old Testament Church and her sons and daughters and make everything new. So, He leads His followers into the city as the other group is going out. The story then continues:
'' 13 When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, ''Do not weep.''
14 Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, ''Young man, I say to you, arise.'' 15 So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. 16 Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, ''A great prophet has risen up among us''; and, ''God has visited His people.'' 17 And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.'' (Luke 7:13-17)
So, the Lord saw the woman and had compassion and said to her: Do not weep. In other words: Rejoice, I am here. I will bring you and whomever wills consolation. I will make this city beautiful again. And then, he touches the coffin. The one who raised Lazarus with a few words did not need to touch the coffin, but He wanted to send a message.
To the Jews, anyone who would touch a coffin or a corpse would become unclean. The person would be defiled by sin, defiled by death. But not this man, not the Logos incarnate. This is THE ONE WHO IS. He is not merely a human being. He is The Being, the source of life. He touches death, represented here by the coffin, and overcomes it. He is not defiled, but kills death. Christ has come to save all of the sons of daughters of the Church.
But notice: the young man is not yet alive. He's still physically and spiritually dead. To each one in the Church today who is in the process of being carried out from the beautiful city, God says: Young man, young woman, I say to you, arise! No more sleeping, no more being carried out by others, no more being negatively influenced by others, by society. Regain your will. Regain your freedom. Be strong. Be alive. Be fully alive.
The man who had no will, who was being carried by others, now sat up and began to speak. He regained control over himself. His mind and his will were resurrected. So, although Christ has touched the coffin and overcome death, there's still a need for each one of us to talk to Him on a personal basis, to know Him personally.
The woman, the Church, was ecstatic. The crowd proclaimed that God has visited His people and the report of this miracle circulated in the city and beyond. The city once again was beautiful and those who were once crying found consolation and joy in Christ. It is our turn, it is our turn to get up from sleep, to regain control over our lives, to enjoy the city of God on earth and may continue in this fellowship with the one Trinitarian God in heaven.