Raising of the Widow’s Son

by FLL Editorial Team
2013-06-09

jesus-raises-widow-son路加福音 7:11-17

在今天的福音中,耶穌使一位寡婦的獨生子復活。這跟讀經一中厄里亞先知復活寡婦的獨生子互相呼應, 祂令眾人光榮天主說:「天主在我們中間,興起了一位大先知」(路加福音 7:16)。

耶穌不單用祂的說話施行這奇蹟,祂也用手按住棺材,這令我們意識到基督神聖的身體有拯救人的大能。那是全能聖言化成肉身,亦是賦予生命的那位的身體。正如火接觸到鐵會把鐵溶掉,當肉身與那為受造物帶來生命的聖言結合時,那身體也為人帶來生命,驅走死亡。

此外,「一個死人在眾人面前被抬出城」亦有另一層意思。這代表著犯了大罪的人因罪變得麻木,不會再把他靈魂的死亡藏在心裡,而是向世界宣告。而他是一位母親––慈母教會––的兒子,所有知道教會是藉基督的死亡得救贖的人,都明白教會是一位寡婦。

(本文以英文為準)

Luke 7:11-17

In today's gospel, the resurrection alludes to the prophet Elijah's resurrection of the only son of a widow of Zarephath (1 Kgs 7:8–24) in the first reading, leading to the reaction of the crowd: “A great prophet has arisen in our midst” (Lk 7:16).

Jesus performs the miracle not only in word, but also touches the bier, to the end that you might know that the sacred body of Christ is powerful to the saving of man. For it is the body of Life and the flesh of the Omnipotent Word, whose power it possesses. For as iron applied to fire does the work of fire, so the flesh, when it is united to the Word, which gives life to all things, becomes itself also lifegiving and the banisher of death.

But well does St. Luke testify that the Lord is first moved with compassion for the mother, and then raises her son, that in the one case He might set before us for our imitation an example of piety, in the other He might build up our belief in His wonderful power.

'But the dead man who was carried without the gate of the city in the sight of many' signifies a man rendered senseless by the deadening power of mortal sin, and no longer concealing his soul's death within the folds of his heart, but proclaiming it to the knowledge of the world, through the evidence of words or deeds as through the gate of the city. For the gate of the city, I suppose, is some one of the bodily senses. And he is well said to be the only son of his mother, for there is one mother composed of many individuals, the Church, but every soul that remembers that it is redeemed by the death of the Lord, knows the Church to be a widow.

References:
Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, Sermon XXXVI (St. Cyril of Alexandria)
Explanations on the New Testament (St. Theophylact of Ochrid)

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