The body is not a single part September 19

“Now the body is not a single part, but many…Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.” I Corinthians 12

“A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people.” Luke 7:10

Piety

Let us pray: God, you gave your Son power of sin and death. Please give us the faith of the widow in Luke’s Gospel and the widow who aided Elijah. Give us the gifts of justice, temperance, prudence and fortitude to serve you even before we see such a sign.

Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/091906.shtml

Yesterday, Jesus' power was displayed for a Roman centurion whose slave was dying. In today’s reading, Jesus’ power over death is displayed toward a widowed mother whose only son has already died.

This resuscitation alludes to the Hebrew Bible and the prophet Elijah's resurrection of another “only son” – that time it was the son of a widow of Zarephath.

The widow of Zaraphath provided water and food for Elijah when he had none. She welcomed and cared for the stranger without question. But she wept at the prospect of her only son being taken from her and appealed to Elijah. When the only son was brought back to life by Elijah, she recognized him as a prophet from God. "Now indeed I know that you are a man of God" (1 Kings 17:24).

Luke’s story also presents a powerful case to the crowd. Jesus’ power leads the crowd to the same conclusion the widow of Zarephath reached. "A great prophet has arisen in our midst" (Luke 7:16).

The catechism teaches us that God revealed the resurrection of the dead to His people gradually just like in this incident from the Hebrew Bible. These incidents help Jesus to separate the faithful witnesses from the Pharisees and others who reject the scriptures and the power of the “God of the living.”

Jesus goes one step further. He links faith in the resurrection to faith in His mission. The people who see the sign react ("A great prophet has arisen in our midst," and "God has visited his people.").

And he said to them in reply, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me." (Luke 7:22-23)

This beatitude is pronounced on the person who recognizes Jesus' true identity in spite of previous expectations of what "the one who is to come" would be like.

Action

How in the world do we witness resurrection in life? Those who work in health care can see it happen every day through medicines, through procedures and through faith. We need all three.

Today, many people lie ill but one special son amongst our Cursillo family especially needs our prayers – Peter Tompkins.

Peter has been hospitalized for weeks due to complications from various ailments that affect his life and health. His journey with God has not been an easy one. In a recent message from Peter’s brother Mike, we learned that Peter can have visitors and take phone calls in his room at Fairfax Hospital. Please reach out to Peter and support him and his family in this battle with a card, a letter, a visit or a call.

If you are reading this and do not know our loving brother Peter, you may know of a hospital or nursing home where others live. Please visit them and pray for them.