God is always at work around us. However, we are often unaware of his actions in our lives. In today’s Gospel, Jesus resuscitated the only son of a widow in Nain. He took pity on her, even though she did not even ask him for help. As a result, the people rejoiced and glorified God.

Last summer, we went through our 30-day Ignatian retreat. One of the first things that we reflected on was how everything in the world is created by God as gifts for us to know Him better, to love Him more, and to serve Him more fully. Everything is a gift: work, education, family, friends, the place we live, the food we eat, the music people create, and we listen to. Some of these gifts are obvious, but others we sometimes take for granted: the air we breathe, the rain that poured, a pat on the back, the quick nap we took early this afternoon, even the co-worker who is testing our patience… We often wonder where God is when things are not working out for us, when the truth is we were not really looking for Him. And yet, He continues to be there for us. The widow in today’s gospel was not expecting a miracle, but Jesus happened.

This now is the wisdom of the Examen prayer. The first part of the Examen invites us to go through the events of our day and try to detect God’s movements in them. Where did He manifest His presence to us today? We then thank Him for the gifts He gave us. As we become more and more aware of His presence in our lives, we are better able to discern what is of God, and the things that draw us away from Him. As we become more aware of His actions around us, we are better able to see Him in all things. We are then better able to show our gratitude and rejoice at what the Lord keeps doing for us today.

By: Sem. Richard Anthony Lim

Today’s Gospel

Luke 7:11-17

Jesus 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.