LIVE IT TODAY: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 | Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
I see your sorrow, and I speak life where there is death.
LIVE IT TODAY: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 | Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
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GOD'S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
I see your sorrow, and I speak life where there is death.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
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.
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
The God Who Interrupts Death
Nain was a small, out-of-the-way village. Yet it became the stage for one of the most tender and powerful moments in Jesus’ ministry. A widow—already marked by grief—was now burying her only son. In the first-century world, this meant not only crushing sorrow but also devastating vulnerability. Without husband or son, she faced isolation and poverty.
Jesus sees her. The Greek verb here (esplanchnisthē) means a gut-wrenching compassion—He is moved from the depths of His being. He does not simply comfort with words; He steps directly into the path of death, halts the procession, and touches the coffin. This was shocking—touching a bier risked ritual impurity. But Jesus is not defiled by death; death is undone by Him. With a word—“Young man, I tell you, arise!”—life surges back, and He restores the son to his mother.
The crowd’s cry says it all: “God has visited His people.” In Jesus, God interrupts death with life, despair with hope, sorrow with joy. This is not only a miracle for a widow in Nain—it is a preview of the Resurrection, the sign of the Kingdom breaking in.
Parents, we walk in our own funeral processions. We carry griefs—losses of loved ones, disappointments, broken relationships, fears for our children. Sometimes we are like the widow, numb with sorrow. Sometimes like the crowd, helpless observers. But Jesus draws near. He sees. He speaks life.
In our homes, we are called to be places where death is interrupted daily—not just physical death, but the little deaths of discouragement, shame, and despair. When we pray over our children by name, we are echoing Jesus’ words: “Arise!” Arise from lies. Arise from fear. Arise into joy and mission.
The miracle at Nain is not just about the raising of one young man. It is about the raising of families, the restoring of hope, the visitation of God in our midst. Will we let Him interrupt us?
“Jesus’ compassion toward the sick and his many healings… are a resplendent sign that ‘God has visited his people’” (CCC 1503).
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
Jesus Sees Me: Where in my life right now do I most need to believe that Jesus sees my sorrow?
Interrupting Death: What “funeral processions” in our family—patterns of despair, discouragement, or division—need Jesus’ touch?
Speaking Life: How can I use my words more intentionally to bring hope and encouragement instead of criticism or fear?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, each person share one area in their life where they feel discouraged or weighed down.
Then pray over each person by name:
“Lord Jesus, You saw the widow at Nain and spoke life to her son. Speak life now into [Name]. Interrupt every shadow of death, silence the lies of the Enemy, and raise them to walk in Your joy, Your hope, and Your mission.”
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
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