Sharing Pain and Sorrow

Again and again, Jesus calls us to let him dig deeper into our hearts and mold them after his own.  In this morning's Gospel from Luke 7:11-17 we see his tender reaction to the widow of Nain who is weeping in the funeral procession of her only son.  If we were there would we shy away with the excuse that, yes this is tragic, but I have enough problems of my own and can't be bothered with another?  Or, like Jesus, would we offer what condolence we could?  In the case of Jesus, his heart, filled always with the joy that came from his closeness to his Father, is not only able to absorb the widow's grief by his profound empathy, but he also has the power to turn that grief into joy by raising the son from the dead and giving him back to his mother. What compassion, what sensitivity, what love!  We may not be able to restore the dead to life, but we can share the joy in our hearts that comes from our relationship with our Father, and show compassion , sensitivity and love. We can lift the burden of those who suffer illness or who are in mourning.  Most often our presence is enough; it doesn't have to be words.  Grief and pain find healing in the presence of one who cares.
Bro. Rene