“So then, those who saw Christ's miracles and didn’t understand what they meant, wondered only at the miracles themselves. In contrast, others both wondered at the miracles and attained the meaning of them, thus making them spiritually healed and alive again. Such ought we to be in the school of Christ.”
Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
I Timothy 3:1-13
Luke 7:11-17
In Tuesday’s Gospel account, Luke 7:11-17, we read of the raising from the dead, the only son of the widow of Nain. When Jesus saw the funeral procession and encountered the tears of a mother, He was moved with pity. I soon discovered other translations use the word compassion, so why the difference, and what’s the reason? Did St Luke write Pity or Compassion?
Pity and compassion are both emotional responses to the suffering of others, but they differ greatly in depth and perspective.
Pity
Involves feeling sorrow or regret for someone else's condition.
Often perceived as a more superficial or distant emotion.
Compassion
Involves a deeper emotional connection and a desire to help alleviate another's suffering.
Encourages empathy and understanding, fostering a sense of shared humanity.
Often leads to action, as compassionate individuals seek to support or assist those in need.
Pity is feeling sorry for someone, whereas compassion is offering love and comfort to someone who is suffering. We know that God is love and Jesus is love, so why did Luke use Pity here rather than Compassion?
St Augustine gives the best answer I could find in his Sermon 98. Some I have paraphrased:
This mother’s joy at being given back her son reminds us of the joy of our Mother the Church when her sinful children return to the life of grace. “The widowed mother rejoiced at the raising of that young man,” says St Augustine.
Our Mother the Church rejoices every day when people are raised again in spirit. The young man had been dead physically, the latter dead spiritually. The young man’s death was mourned visibly; the death of the latter was invisible and un-mourned.
St Augustine goes on to say, “He seeks them out. He alone knew them to be dead, it was He who was able to make them alive” (spiritually). Skipping down, he continues: “Now we find that three dead persons were raised by the Lord, "visibly," (as told in the Scriptures), thousands "invisibly." No one knows how many dead He raised visibly? For all the things that He did are not written. St. John tells us, "Many other things Jesus did, the which of, if they should be written, I suppose that the whole world could not contain the books." So, then, there were undoubtedly many others raised, but it is not without meaning that the three are expressly recorded. “For what our Lord Jesus Christ did with the body should also be spiritually understood. For He did not merely do miracles for the miracles' sake, but so that the things which He did should inspire wonder in those who saw them and convey truth to those who understood.”
“So then, those who saw Christ's miracles and didn’t understand what they meant, wondered only at the miracles themselves. In contrast, others both wondered at the miracles and attained the meaning of them, thus making them spiritually healed and alive again. Such ought we to be in the school of Christ.”
“This have I said to persuade you, that our Lord Jesus Christ performed miracles with this view, that by those miracles He might signify something further, that besides that they were wonderful and great, and divine in themselves, we might learn also something from them.” (taken from Sermon 98).
This explanation makes the most sense, justifying Luke’s use of “Pity” in this instance. It wasn’t as though Jesus wasn’t showing compassion. It was to show us the need for the invisible, Spiritual healing. In St John’s Gospel, when Jesus heals someone or performs miracles, often his instructions are to “Go and sin no more.” Another example is that our Spirit needs healing as much or more than our physical ailments.
Some notes I took on Spiritual Healing tell us that the Bible’s teachings emphasize that spiritual healing encompasses physical restoration, emotional comfort, and spiritual renewal, reflecting God’s presence during times of distress.
Faith is crucial in spiritual healing; trust in God can lead to comfort, hope, and personal transformation, especially during difficult times.
Components of Healing include acknowledging the need for healing, engaging in prayer, reading scripture, and seeking community support, all essential steps in the healing journey.
It is hard to connect the first reading to today’s Gospel. Still, let's go back to 1st Timothy chapter 1, verses 8-11. St Paul tells Timothy “Now we know that the law is good, if any one uses it lawfully, understanding this: that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinner, for the unholy and profane…and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the glorious Gospel of the blessed God which I have been entrusted,” then we understand why today’s first reading was written and how our verses from Psalm 101 tie the two together.
“Of mercy and judgement I will sing: to you , O LORD, I will sing praise. I will persevere in the way of integrity: I will walk with blameless heart. He goes on to say he will not endure or he will destroy those who slander their neighbor or the man of haughty eyes and puffed up heart, in other words those who do not walk with blameless heart.”
The guidelines for Bishops, Deacons, and Women could be summed up, “You should persevere in the way of integrity and walk with a blameless heart.” Spirituality can’t be bought. We can’t earn it. It happens when we surrender our lives to God and humbly “Walk with a blameless heart.” Which do we pray most for, and which is more important — physical healing or spiritual healing?