16 September 2025 – Tuesday of the 24th week in Ordinary Time
Homily
At the beginning of this Gospel story, two processions meet at the gates of the small village of Nain, near Nazareth. One brings life, the other brings death. Jesus, proclaiming the Word of God, approaches the town, followed by His disciples and a large crowd. As He arrives at the gates of the town, a widow comes out, accompanied by a large crowd, to bury her only son.
On one side is Jesus, sowing the Word of Life; on the other, a woman carrying her dead son, and therefore voiceless. She is devastated and can only weep. Jesus does not ask her any questions. He knows that this pain cannot be expressed in words and that this woman, without a son or a husband, has neither identity nor dignity among her people. He is moved with pity for her, even though she asks nothing of him. Her silent pain penetrates him. He simply says to her, ‘Do not weep.’
Then he makes a gesture and speaks. He touches the stretcher: a gesture that breaks taboos, because according to the old law, this gesture makes him himself unclean. His word is a word of life addressed to someone who no longer exists, because he is dead. And this word, like the initial word on the morning of creation, brings him back to life: ‘Young man, I command you, get up.’
When this young man is brought back to life, the two processions that were going in opposite directions become one crowd. All of them, seized with fear, give thanks to God with one voice. ‘A great prophet has risen among us. God has visited his people.’ And this word, that is, the word of Jesus that brings back to life what was dead, spreads throughout Judea and the neighbouring countries, and therefore also outside Israel.
Before this account, Luke had recounted several healings performed by Jesus. He can now, immediately after this account, recount the visit of John the Baptist's disciples who come to ask him: ‘Are you the one who is to come?’ To which he replied: ‘Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised.’ He added: ‘The Good News is proclaimed to the poor’ because only the poor receive it. It is when the pain of this poor widow meets the compassion of Jesus that life is restored to her son.
On the morning of creation, life appeared in all its forms when the Breath of God hovered over the initial chaos and the Word of God was spoken over that chaos. God said... and the earth was separated from the waters, light from darkness, and human beings appeared.
We are made for life, but there is always something within us that draws us towards death. This is true of every person, every community, society and the Church. Through baptism we are born into eternal life; but through sin we take the road to death. On this road, we encounter Christ who, through his sacramental word, brings us back to life.
Today we commemorate two martyrs, Cornelius and Cyprian. Pope Cornelius died in exile for his firm determination to open the way to reconciliation for those who, through weakness, had apostatised during the persecutions. Cyprian was able to walk the fine line between a principled disagreement with Pope Stephen concerning the validity of baptism conferred by heretics and his full communion with the same pope, and he confirmed the strength of his faith by dying a martyr.
Armand VEILLEUX