26/08/2026
Gospel
Lk 7:11-17
She bore me in the arms of her prayer, that you might say to the son of the widow: Young man, I say to you, arise (Saint Augustine, Confessions, book 6, no. 2).
โ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain,
and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.
As he drew near to the gate of the city,
a man who had died was being carried out,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.
A large crowd from the city was with her.
When the Lord saw her,
he was moved with pity for her and said to her,
โDo not weep.โ
He stepped forward and touched the coffin;
at this the bearers halted,
and he said, โYoung man, I tell you, arise!โ
The dead man sat up and began to speak,
and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming,
โA great prophet has arisen in our midst,โ
and โGod has visited his people.โ
This report about him spread through the whole of Judea
and in all the surrounding region.
๐ฟ REFLECTION:
โYoung Man, I Say to You, Arise!โ
The scene at Nain begins with a procession of death. A widow has lost her only son. Her grief is especially profound because, in the society of that time, she has lost not only someone she loves but also her human source of security and support.
But notice something beautiful: the widow does not have to ask Jesus for help. Luke simply says:
โWhen the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her.โ
Jesus sees suffering before the woman even speaks. This reveals the heart of God. Our Lord is not distant from human sorrow. He enters into it with compassion.
When Jesus says, โDo not weep,โ He is not dismissing her grief. Rather, He is about to do something that reveals who He truly is. He touches the coffin and commands:
โYoung man, I tell you, arise!โ
And the dead man rises.
โ๏ธ Jesus is Lord of Life
For Catholics, this miracle points beyond the physical resurrection of one young man. It reveals the identity and authority of Jesus.
Christ is the Lord of life. Death does not have the final word over those who belong to Him.
The young man eventually died again, because this was not yet the final resurrection. The miracle at Nain therefore points forward to something greater: Christ's own Resurrection and the promise of eternal life.
As Jesus teaches elsewhere:
โI am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.โ
โ John 11:25
Our Catholic faith therefore does not tell us that Christians will never experience suffering or death. Instead, it teaches us that death has been conquered by Christ and that those who die in Christ can hope for resurrection.
โค๏ธ โJesus Gave Him to His Motherโ
One of the most touching details is the final sentence:
โAnd Jesus gave him to his mother.โ
Jesus does not merely restore the young man's life; He restores him to his mother.
This reminds us that God cares about the relationships and wounds of our ordinary human lives. He sees the mother who is crying, the family that is broken, the person who feels lost, and the heart that seems without hope.
Sometimes we pray for God to restore a particular situation, relationship, or person, and we wonder why He has not done so in the way we expect.
The Gospel invites us to trust that Jesus sees what we cannot see.
And sometimes the โariseโ Jesus speaks is not a physical resurrection but a spiritual one:
Arise from despair.
Arise from sin.
Arise from discouragement.
Arise from spiritual lukewarmness.
Arise from wounds that have kept you trapped.
Arise and return to God.
๐๏ธ A Catholic invitation
This Gospel also challenges us personally.
Perhaps there are areas of our lives that have become spiritually โdead.โ Maybe our prayer has become cold, our love has weakened, or we have become discouraged in serving God.
Jesus still approaches us and says:
โArise!โ
Through His grace, especially through Confession, the Eucharist, prayer, and His Word, Christ continually calls us back to life.
And there is another beautiful Catholic dimension: the Church is called to be like Christ in this Gospel. We are called to notice those who are suffering, to approach them with compassion, and to become instruments through which Christ's love reaches them.
We cannot raise the dead by our own powerโbut we can bring people toward the One who can.
๐ LET US PRAY ๐
Lord Jesus,
You are the Resurrection and the Life.
When I am spiritually tired, say to me, โArise.โ
When I fall into sin, call me back to Your mercy.
When I lose hope, remind me that death does not have the final word.
Teach me to see the suffering of others as You saw the widow of Nain.
Give me a compassionate heart that does not pass by another person's pain.
And when my own hour of suffering and death comes,
give me the grace to trust completely in You
and to hope in the resurrection and eternal life.
Amen.
Reflection to carry today:
Jesus sees the tears that others may never notice. And when He comes into the places of our deepest sorrow, His command remains: โArise.โ
