Fr Kevin Kilgore

“When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said, ‘Do not weep.’ … He stepped forward, touched the coffin, and said, ‘Young man, I tell you, arise!” (Luke 7:11-13).

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Perhaps the most wrenching experience in life is the loss of a child.

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Such is the case of the widow in today’s Gospel. She has not only lost her husband; she’s also lost her son.

Witnessing her loss firsthand brings Jesus to tears – to the point that he raises this young man from the dead.

Clearly, this mother’s tears made a difference.

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Like this widow, Saint Monica – whose feast day we celebrate today – mourned the spiritual death of her son, Augustine.

For 17 years, she watched him drift further and further from the Lord until he was lost. But Monica never gave up on him. 

Mothers never do.

She prayed for her son daily until he came home. 

As Providence would have it, Augustine not only became a believer; he also became one of the most persuasive writers in the history of Christianity.

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Like Saint Monica, many of us love someone who’s drifted from the Lord – maybe even one of our children.

But our stories are not over just yet; Monica reminds of that. We must keep on praying.

It may take time – even 17 years before our loved one returns – but the same Jesus who raised this widow’s son from the dead can bring our loved ones back to life.

Who is that one person whom we can pray for today?

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If there’s any person that Jesus cannot tolerate it’s the one who appears to be religious on the outside, but is corrupted within.

Take, for example, the scribes and Pharisees. 

They were the religious leaders of Israel who made people pay hefty temple taxes and follow hundreds of rigorous made-made laws.

People followed them because they believed these men were God’s representatives on earth.

But Jesus saw right through their appearances, knowing they were greedy and arrogant within. So he calls them, “hypocrites.”

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Jesus’ words are not only meant to challenge the religious leaders of his day; they’re also meant to challenge us.

Like the scribes and Pharisees, people identify us as religious. They see us attending Mass – they watch us pray. They presume we follow the Lord.

Our challenge is to be the person they see, putting our faith into practice, giving them a reason to believe.

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“Students, please take out two sheets of paper and a sharpened pencil. Begin answering the questions on the board. You’ll have thirty minutes to complete your work.”

“Yes, this is a pop quiz.”

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In high school, those five alarming words – this is a pop quiz– made my stomach drop. It felt like some of my teachers just loved to torture us.

Anyone who didn’t do the previous night’s readings or who fell asleep during yesterday’s math lesson was doomed to fail.

As an achiever who tried earning good grades, being caught off guard or unprepared was the worst feeling ever.

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In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to, “Be like servants who await their master’s return.” 

Like a high school teacher announcing a pop quiz, we simply don’t know when he’s coming back. It’s best to be ready.

But is the Lord’s return something we should fear? Or is it something we should welcome?

I suppose a large part of our answer depends upon our image of God. So who is God to me?

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Is God like a distant father figure? Or maybe a stickler for rules who holds me accountable for every little misstep?

Yuck!

Or is God my shepherd, my friend, even my lover, who loves me in spite of my failings?

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Part of Luke’s motivation for writing his Gospel is to help shape our view of God.

In particular, Luke is writing to the second generation of Christians who, like us, didn’t have direct contact with Jesus. 

Their elders expected the Lord to return immediately, but since Jesus didn’t, some left the faith and became morally lax. 

God became a distant figure, someone they’d deal with at the end of their lives – if he’s there at all.

It’s a temptation that people still fall into today.

Frankly, most people aren’t concerned with the second coming of Jesus. They’re more worried about their grocery list or what’s next on Netflix.

Yet at the same time, Americans have become increasingly fragile, even obsessed over the truth of our own mortality. 

Think of the random shootings that happened in El Paso and Dayton this past week.

Some parents are now sending their children to school with Kevlar bulletproof backpacks!

Even though the chance of being caught in such a nightmare is minimal, it’s strong enough to put fear in our bones.

The truth is, we know our end is somewhere on the horizon, but many treat it like something they’ll deal with tomorrow.

If God’s there, we’ll deal with him then.

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But Jesus says to, “Be like servants who await their master’s return.” What, then, does it mean to be ready?

Simply being at peace with God – and at peace with one another. 

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Am I at peace? Or is there unresolved tension in my life?

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This is why I try examining my own conscience at the end of each night, asking myself questions like:

Where did I encounter the Lord today? How kind was I to my neighbor? Did I grow in love? Do I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness?

It’s a simple way to stay accountable – to stay ready.

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“Students, please take out two sheets of paper and a sharpened pencil. Begin answering the questions on the board. Yes, this is a pop quiz.”

Now just as I cannot borrow another student’s work, I cannot borrow another person’s relationship with God. 

I have my own – and you have yours.

The beauty is, however, that there’s no competition. Everyone has the opportunity to enter into the kingdom of God.

How, then, can we grow in peace with God and with one another? 

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Doing so will only prepare us for the journey ahead.