[ Today's Readings ]
Jesus has compassion for the widow who loses her son. He has compassion for all who suffer. He wants to offer comfort and healing to his people. It is not just a naive reinterpretation of bad circumstances. It makes a visible impact. People say, "God has visited his people" because of what they see. He comforts us in our troubles so that we can in turn comfort others (see Second Corinthians 1:4) with the comfort we receive.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
We are part of the body Jesus uses to reach out to his people. We're all equally parts of it. It doesn't matter who we were before because the Spirit unites us in Christ. We can't use our backgrounds as excuses. It doesn't even matter what gifts we have now. The Spirit unites us in Christ so that nothing is lacking. But we need to make sure we're letting him work. We need to make sure that we "[s]trive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts." They are not just for our own sake. They are for the sake of the widow are her dead son and for all who need to hear about the good news and power of the resurrection. They too are meant to become part of this body.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him; bless his name.
Couldn't find this without edited with the Tetragrammaton removed. Be reverent, I guess.
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