Jesus raises the Widow of Nain's son, Mario Minniti
One of the striking features of the God of Jews and Christians is that ours is a God who cares for those on the margins of society, especially orphans and immigrants and widows. That is what comes out of the readings for this Sunday. In the first reading, a widow who is not of the true faith has just provided food for that slightly alarming figure the prophet Elijah, “the man of God”; then she is apparently rewarded by the death of her son, “there remained no breath [of life] in him”. Not surprisingly, she reproaches him roundly, “What have you and I to do with each other, man of God? Did you come to me to remind me of my guilt, and put my son to death?”
Elijah revives the Son of the Widow from Zarephath, Rutilio Manetti
There is a rather complicated theology lurking here, about what causes evil, but the prophet does not waste time with arguing. Instead he tells her “Give me your son”, and he takes the child upstairs to his room, places him on his bed, and prays to God for the widow, and “stretched himself out three times on the boy and called on the Lord”, and his petition is that God (who is of course responsible for death and life) should not kill the widow’s son. Inevitably God hears his prayer, and the woman recognizes Elijah: “Now I know that you are a man of God”. There is a real sense here that the world has meaning, after all, and that God cares.
No comments:
Post a Comment