Faith & Compassion

Psalm [120], 121, 122, 123 • Psalm 124, 125, 126, [127]
Micah 1:1-9 • Acts 23:12-24 • Luke 7:1-17

In today’s gospel reading we learn about faith and compassion from two contrasting stories – one involving a centurian whose slave is very ill and the other a poor widow who has just lost her only son.

The centurian is a man of power and authority. His slave, whom he values highly, is ill and close to death. The centurian has come to the limits of his power and authority and in need of a divine intervention to heal his slave. His faith leads him to seek authority and power in Jesus. Jesus is moved by the centurian’s faith and his slave is healed. After this miracle Jesus, his disciples, and the large crowd following him make their way to Nain.

In this second story he sees a dead man being carried out at the city gates of Nain. The dead man’s casket is followed by his mother and large crowd from town. He was her only son and she is crying. Jesus had compassion for her and asked her not to weep. Then he rose her son from the dead.

The first story is a story of faith. The second a story of compassion.

When thinking about the authority and power of centurian, I am reminded of what Henri Nouwen writes in The Modern Spirituality Series: Henri Nouwen (1988):           

“The hard reality is that in our world humility and obedience are never totally separated from power and manipulation: we are challenged to see the will of God in people who are sinful like ourselves and always subject to using their authority more for the worldly kingdom…But let me at least realize today that if I am ever asked to accept or exercise authority over others, it should be an authority based on a sharing in the suffering of those whom I ask to obey.”

When thinking about the destitution the poor widow faces after the death of her only son and Jesus raising him from the dead, I am also reminded of what Henri Nouwen wrote in his book, Here and Now (1994):

“This is the way of downward mobility, the descending way of Jesus. It is the way toward the poor, the suffering, the marginal, the prisoners, the refugees, the lonely, the hungry, the dying, the tortured, the homeless-toward all who ask for compassion. What do they have to offer? Not success, popularity, or power, but the joy and peace of the children of God.”

 The promise in the reading from Luke is that God exalts us all to equal status. When we place our faith in Jesus and are compassionate with each other in our suffering then we have the power to bring healing to a broken world.

Written by Kathy McGregor

...who is thankful and grateful for the all the ways in which our church keeps us connected.