7 March 2016
Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent
“Your son will live.” With these words, Jesus both describes what He sees will happen and we can imagine that as the Son of God actually causes it to happen. The power of the Lord to give life is at the heart of His mission to our world, at the heart of His coming to from Heaven.
But the human life He gives is a symbol of the eternal life that He Himself is. Sometimes we hear people complain they are weary of life, that this life is quite enough, and they would not want more – anywhere else! And yet, when we are in love, ah, we want to live; when beauty surrounds us and our hearts are lifted – we want to live. And so the power of God, building on the love of a family can keep someone going, keeping them from rolling into the world of the dead – as the royal official’s son was able to experience.
When all is said and done, though, this return to life is a resuscitation, not yet a resurrection. It is a return to life in this world, a world bound for death. In our Lenten journey we become more aware and appreciative of the goodness of creation; but we also fast and mortify ourselves to remember that even the best of human life will pass. But if it is united with Jesus, then it will be raised, by Him, with Him. And so, “we will live.”