The dead man sat up and began to speak

16 SEPTEMBER (Lk 7,11-17)

Always comparison makes the difference. The difference is the essence of the person. Elijah and Elisha are prophets of the living God. They are the first and only ones to operate a resurrection.

Some time later the son of the mistress of the house fell sick, and his sickness grew more severe until he stopped breathing. So she said to Elijah, “Why have you done this to me, O man of God? Have you come to me to call attention to my guilt and to kill my son?” “Give me your son,” Elijah said to her. Taking him from her lap, he carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. He called out to the Lord: “O Lord, my God, will you afflict even the widow with whom I am staying by killing her son?” Then he stretched himself out upon the child three times and called out to the Lord: “O Lord, my God, let the life breath return to the body of this child.” The Lord heard the prayer of Elijah; the life breath returned to the child’s body and he revived. Taking the child, Elijah brought him down into the house from the upper room and gave him to his mother. “See!” Elijah said to her, “your son is alive.” “Now indeed I know that you you are a man of God,” the woman replied to Elijah. “The word of the Lord comes truly from your mouth” (1Kings 17,17-24).

“Gird your loins,” Elisha said to Gehazi, “take my staff with you and be off; if you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff upon the boy.” But the boy’s mother cried out: “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not release you.” So he started to go back with her. Meanwhile, Gehazi had gone on ahead and had laid the staff upon the boy, but there was no sound or sign of life. He returned to meet Elisha and informed him that the boy had not awakened. When Elisha reached the house, he found the boy lying dead. He went in, closed the door on them both, and prayed to the Lord. Then he lay upon the child on the bed, placing his mouth upon the child’s mouth, his eyes upon the eyes, and his hands upon the hands. As Elisha stretched himself over the child, the body became warm. He arose, paced up and down the room, and then once more lay down upon the boy, who now sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite.” She came at his call, and Elisha said to her, “Take your son.” She came in and fell at his feet in gratitude; then she took her son and left the room (2Kings 4,29-37).  

In the Gospels three resurrections of Jesus are narrated: the son of the widow of Nain, the daughter of Jairus, Lazarus, by now four days in the tomb. It is right that we grasp the difference in the ways of the work. Elijah ad Elisha toil, sweat, engage their whole body to call two children back to life. On the contrary, Jesus with one touch of his hand. Just one word is enough to him and life begins to flow where it was cut off. Jesus is of the very divine omnipotence. He is more than a prophet, more than Elijah, infinitely more than Elisha. The difference in work reveals a difference of substance.

Soon afterward he 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, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” 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, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst,” and “God has visited his people.” This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.

Faced with so much difference the people screams that you are faced with a great prophet. Jesus is not one of the many prophets. It is the prophet that must come. The people keeps on screaming that God has visited his people. Today, Jesus is hailed as the true Messiah, the true Messenger of God. The true presence of God among his people. The greatness of the miracle – it was just about eight hundred years since a similar one had been done in Israel – makes people shout to greatness of the person that accomplished it. This event must teach us that the way of faith is not the word. It is the word transformed into work. The greater the work is and the greater the person is. Since every real work can only come from God, who does these things is certainly a man of God, man from God. God is present in him, is present for him and in him; and for Him he comes to give new life to his people.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints give us a word worthy of belief.