Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
Luke 7: 11-17
Compassion: The Language of God

In today’s Gospel (Luke 7:11-17), Jesus enters the little town of Nain, a day’s journey from Capernaum. Nain lies between Endor and Shunem—the very place where the prophet Elisha once raised another mother’s son (2 Kings 4:18-37). Even today, just outside Nain, a cemetery of rock tombs reminds us of the sorrow and finality of death. It is here, amid this landscape of grief, that one of the most beautiful stories of the Gospel unfolds.

A widow follows the coffin of her only son. In those few words—“He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow”—all the pathos of human life is contained. The funeral procession, with flutes and cries of mourners, mirrors the timeless sorrow of humanity. Yet in the midst of this grief, the evangelist tells us: “The Lord was moved with compassion.” The Son of God allows His heart to be pierced by the tears of a mother. This is the God we believe in—the God who suffers with us.

Jesus approaches, touches the container—likely not a coffin, but a wicker basket—and commands life to return. As one commentator beautifully says: “Jesus claimed as His own what death had seized as its prey.” The truth remains: Jesus restored him to his mother. He showed that He is Lord not only of life, but also of death. He has triumphed over the grave and promises us: “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19). One little note to ponder here is: Was Jesus talking about himself and his mother, a widow who would lose his only son and moved with compassion, he brings her Son back to life?

Compassion is the lens of God’s heart, the language of His love. Indifference looks away; compassion steps forward. Jesus did not avoid the tears of the widow—instead, he entered into them. May we, too, allow our hearts to be moved, to touch the suffering of others, and to speak the language of God: the language that restores life.

© Claretian Publications, Hong Kong, China
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025