The Widow at Nain

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for allowing us to gather here today, for the purpose to pray, to listen to your inspired word and to communicate with you.  

Holy Mother Church honors two of your beloved saints today: Cornelius and Cyprian, wonderful leaders of the Early Church, and our ancestors.  As we look into their history, the faith communities were no different from our own faith communities today.  Especially when they had to find solutions to strife and conflict within the Church.  Your servant, St Paul says that "we carry these treasures in earthen vessels."  And earthen vessels are often quite fragile.  Heavenly Father, we humbly approach your altar as earthen vessels, confident that you will grant pardon and mercy to humble souls.  I confess...

Heavenly Father,

One of the traps that we can easily fall into is being indifferent.  When we hear about things happening throughout the world that does not affect us, we may just shrug it off.  Or when we hear of people struggling with natural disasters, or civilians throughout the world living in an unstable government, we may keep quiet and see it merely as entertaining news rather than looking with the eyes of Jesus, with compassion, and pity, and discerning ways that we could foster and bring forth life.  

 Your beloved Son saw the widow at the city of Nain, who just lost a son.  And he immediately had compassion and sympathy for her.  He knew that it would be difficult for her to survive as a widow and now also losing her son.  If only we could just imagine the eyes of your son as he looked with compassion on his people.  And if we could only imitate a small percentage of that compassion.  And your beloved son approach the widows son and restore his life.  

Father, we hear that it was customary in that culture for people to keep certain things at a distance.  But your Son approach the dead man, and with just spoken words, he brought him back to life.  

Father, sometimes we may struggle because we like our own comfort and stability.  And we also like to keep certain things at a distance, not unlike the old custom of not touching unclean things or people.  Your beloved son set the example when he went out of his way to restore life.  

It is with hope that we can change the world through our small acts of kindness.  Through an encouraging word, a kind greeting card, a prayer for a soul in need, financial assistance for the poor, lending a helping hand when someone asks.  So that we can like your beloved son give life, lift up souls that are downcast, and restore the brokenhearted.  

Your beloved Son set a great example.  And may we adopt and put into practice the teaching of St Francis that it is giving that we receive, and in dying to ourselves that we are born to eternal life.  Praise be to you, and our King, Jesus the Christ.