Monday, May 30, 2016

Luke 7:11-17

Year C - Pentecost+3 or Community Practice+3
June 5, 2016


Last week we heard, “What a surprise! Never have I seen such faith in Israel as in this Centurion.”

This week we hear nothing about faith at all and the ante is upped from healing a distant servant to a near-at-hand resurrection of a widow’s son (presumably an Israelite woman). There are those who would have this be a second-hand resurrection known as a resuscitation because another death is already on the way—discount such protective-of-Jesus devices.

What we have expressed here is compassion (all by itself—rather than being tacked on to faith). What is at stake, the impossible, an unconditioned event with no known access to it, is ever so much more than a card to elicit praise.

Catch a glimpse of the difference between the straight-forward description of Yeshua (“Jesus” carries too much baggage with it to be helpful) and that of an awestruck crowd. This event, like all expressions of compassion has no real audience. News is not to be spread. Engaging a G*D not at all concerned with “helping” “US” is plenty work enough. “Praise” and “news” short-circuit our participation in simple compassion that is to simply be lived in whatever moment is available. Such laudable results reduce our disorientation that leads to being simply present.



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