He should not be a recent convert,
so that he may not become conceited
and thus incur the Devil's punishment.
He must also have a good reputation among outsiders,
so that he may not fall into disgrace, the Devil's trap.
It is important that, so far as possible, our behavior reflects well on Jesus and his Church. Bishops are a more extreme case. But none of us can afford to be conceited or to fall into legitimate disgrace. We see this play out in the world. People judge Jesus based on his followers. We wish they wouldn't. But Jesus himself says "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (See John 13:35). Even if we aren't so good that we make others believe in Jesus because of our goodness let us at least not be so bad that we convince them otherwise because of our own failings.
I will walk with blameless heart.
Yet we cannot do this on our own. If we rely on our own strength and attempt to achieve this standard through hard work we cannot succeed. Somehow it will only accentuate our failures and our lack of success. We can love one another because Jesus lives in us and loves through us. We can be one with others because Jesus and the Father are one and they allow us to share that bond with them. When this is working correctly we won't even experience it as something we ourselves do. It is the power of God in us.
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming,
"A great prophet has arisen in our midst,"
and "God has visited his people."
Rather than becoming conceited or falling into disgrace our hearts need to become more outward focused, more able to be moved with pity for the suffering we see. Jesus looks upon this widow and he probably sees the suffering his own mother will undergo during his Passion. He is able to feel pity for her as he would for his own mother. He is able to respond from the depths of his heart with immense love.
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!"
We may or may not be called to raise the dead. Let's not write it off, but even if not, we are called to respond from the same place of availability, with the same compassion, and the same love that Jesus himself shows. The people are amazed to see the dead raised. But they it is the love underlying the miracle that really matters. If we allow his love to manifest in our own lives the people in the world will respond.
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming,
"A great prophet has arisen in our midst,"
and "God has visited his people."
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