Tenth Sunday (Luke 7: 11-17)

We have just celebrated the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus last Friday. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the symbol of God’s bottomless and unconditional love for us, his  deep compassionate love.

   In our Gospel Reading today, we see a concrete instance of that compassionate Love. In this passage Jesus  encountered a funeral procession. In this case, it was  especially tragic, because the dead man was the  only son  of a  widow.

   A  widow  in the time of Jesus was a  most defenseless person. There was  no one for her to depend on, no one to defend her against any enemy. Her  only hope  was in  her only son. And this son was now taken away from her. The  funeral brought a certain finality to her misfortune. 

   When Jesus and the disciples encountered this funeral procession, Jesus was touched to the depth of his heart. Without being asked,  he tried to do something about the situation.

   Jesus had just shown the compassionate of God by bringing back to life  the servant of the Centurion in Capernaum. So, when Jesus met the funeral, he responded with the same compassion. He touched the bier and stopped the funeral. That was a daring act to stop a funeral procession. He told the dead man,  “Young man, I tell you rise!” And returned him to his mother.

   Jesus was a man of compassion. He was easily touched by the sorrows and sufferings of people: the sick, the lame, the blind, the lepers, the paralytics, the beggars, and the sorrowing. And  he was ready to alleviate the sufferings of people. The parable of the  Good Samaritan  was  a reflection of Himself.

   So what does the Gospel passage today say to us?

    1. In any trial or sorrow –  never despair. Look to the compassionate heart of Jesus. He is with us in the storm.

    2. We must follow Jesus to be a person of compassion.

   God does not enjoy in making people suffer. Most often the sufferings in this world are brought about by the misuse of freedom of some people. The flash floods and landslides that swept away or buried countless families were caused by the uncontrolled cutting of trees in the forests and mountains.

   Much of the traffic accidents are caused by reckless driving or driving under the the influence of drugs or alcohol. The proliferation of guns leads to more killings and violence.

   But  God is with the sufferings of the people. And He will bring some good of the calamity and suffering.

   People without deep faith would often  despair. But people with a  deep trust in the compassionate God would find  enormous strength  to find  peace  and  serenity in the midst of the tragedy and storm.

   Second, as Christians, as  followers of Jesus, we must also be  persons of compassion. Jesus concludes the Parable of the Good Samaritan with the words: “Go and do likewise.” The message of the parable of the “Unmerciful Servant” was as we experience the great mercy and compassion of God, we must be ready to offer the same mercy and compassion to others. Jesus at the Last Supper advised the Apostles to “Love one another as I love you.”

   This is not easy, because love, mercy and compassion  involve opening ourselves to  listen  with our hearts to others; to  understand  their situation and needs .

   And we are more prone to look at others, especially the poor and the less fortunate, from our own experience and point of view.

   Years ago I gave a retreat to a group of college students, We went to a remote place – 8 km away from the main roads. When we arrived at the place, there was none of the usual amenities – no gas or electric stove, no refrigerator, just fire wood.

   A  elderly woman  came out of nowhere to assist us even in our cooking with firewood. I was  very suspicious  thinking that  she might be up to something, expecting some payment or things from us.

   After several days, much  to my shame, I realized that I misjudged her.

   Although poor and uneducated,  she was just there to help us  - out of her  hospitality  and  simple generosity. Not expecting anything. I learned from that poor woman  what true Christian spirit was.

   In my  Tertianship,  or what we called our  “second novitiate,” we were sent to  live in the slum areas  for one to two weeks, to experience the life of the poor. I stayed in the house of a social worker, which was a  small  “barong-barong.”  It had a  dirt floor, and a  slightly elevated second floor. The social worker insisted that I use the wooden bed, while she and her cousin slept on the floor.

   I was so glad to find out that they provided me with a mosquito net. I am so sensitive to any invasion of mosquitoes. But my hope of a sound sleep was frustrated when I itched  in the middle of the night. I lighted a candle and discovered that my bed was  crawling with well-fed bedbugs enjoying their picnic. So, I had a  bedbug extermination campaign. While the social worker and her cousin had a great time joining me in hunting for bedbugs in the middle of the night.

   I also learned to understand why the poor cannot take a bath everyday. Water was too expensive. They have to buy it by the gallon. Fortunately I was  able to take advantage of the rain water when I was there.

   After two weeks of immersion in the heat of the slums, and the rain, I was  back in my comfortable seminary, although my toothbrush still smelled of the slum water.

   I was glad to be home after two weeks. But those people there in the slums had to live in those conditions all their lives. I experienced that beneath the poverty and harsh conditions of life, there are by and large  a lot of goodness  and sense of religiosity among these people.

   Of course, not to romanticize them, I admit that there are also  exploiters  and  criminal elements  there. But in general there are  a lot of goodness and nobility  among them.

   So  I learned to be more understanding and compassionate when I have to make  decisions that affect the poor.

We  must listen to others, listen with your heart. Listening is  often threatening, because you have to  give your time when you are usually busy. You have  to get out of your own prejudgment  and  understand with your heart  the needs and situations of others.