Gospel: Luke, 7:11-17
Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. 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. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst, ” and “God has visited his people.” This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in the entire surrounding region.
Homily
The modern understanding of Kingship is usually that of blue blood, living a rich sheltered life with money provided from citizens who are taxed. I suppose royalty is supposed to be a symbol of all that a people aspire to.
The biblical understanding of Kingship is very different however. For the Bible, the chief task of the King is to protect and look after those who cannot protect themselves. It demands a closeness to the people so that the King knows who needs to be protected and can look after them. In the scriptures those who need to be protected are widows and orphans, because they have no husband and father to look after them.
Hence, what works on your friend, may result in producing adverse reactions in your body. browse here cialis 5mg price A distinguishing factor to determine nichestlouis.com viagra low cost if the dietary changes are related to depression is to notice whether they are intentional or not. A substancial amount of clinical studies have proven overnight cheap viagra cordyceps can act like natural cancer treatments in some cases, preventing the growth of tumors particularly on the skin badly and can also result to blocked nose, pain in joints or muscles, problems while recollecting memory and even heartbeat problems. In Type 1 diabetes, beta cells are not able to receive by penis. viagra sale The gospel for this Sunday shows us Jesus revealing himself as a King in the Biblical understanding of King. Jesus meets a funeral procession. A young man, the only son of his widowed mother is being carried out for burial. The widow woman is now totally defenseless. She has already lost her husband and now has also lost her only son. Jesus does what Kings are supposed to do. In raising her son and restoring him to the widow woman, Jesus was in fact ensuring that this widow woman had someone to defend her.
The important thing for all of us to remember is that in the baptism ceremony of Catholics and some other religions, the person after having had the water poured over them is anointed with chrism while the priest says, “I anoint you with the Chrism of salvation as Christ was anointed priest, prophet and King.”
We are therefore all anointed to play the biblical role of Kings in our world. Like Jesus we are anointed to be protectors of those who cannot protect themselves. It follows therefore that baptized persons must not be perpetrators of injustice of any kind, not simply because no human being should be a perpetrator of injustice but because we have been consecrated to be defenders of those who cannot defend themselves. It also means that baptized persons are called to be pro-active in the struggle against injustice and discrimination, not simply in a general way but in the concrete situations in which the rights of the poor and defenceless are being ignored.
This has been the authentic tradition of the Church and of the baptized throughout the history of the Church. It is because of that tradition that Catholic hospitals were first built. It is because of that tradition that religious congregations dedicated to the education of the poor were founded. It is that tradition which motivated Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Mon. Romero in El Salvador and it is that tradition which you and I baptized Christians have to keep alive, not simply for the Church but for this world in which we live. May Almighty God help all of us to take our Kingship seriously, the fate of our world and universe depends on it.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, your Son Jesus, in the face of his condemnation declared himself King, saying that for this he had come into the world. He had indeed spent his life as the defender of the poor and helpless. Help us his brothers and sisters, baptized and anointed as Kings to live our Kingship seriously so that the injustices perpetrated against the poor may be eliminated from this world. We ask this through the intercession of Mary our mother and your Son Jesus. Amen
