[LA EN]
The liturgical station of this day takes place in the church of Saints Sylvester and Martin, deeply embedded in the heart of this time of penance and preparation for Easter. The liturgical texts of these days were chosen with a profound catechetical purpose, especially for the instruction of the catechumens who were preparing to receive Baptism at the Easter Vigil. The central theme is the manifestation of the power of God over sin and death, prefiguring the Resurrection of Christ and our own spiritual resurrection through the sacraments. Today's liturgy, with the two resurrection miracles, serves as a powerful lesson on the new life that Christ came to bring, showing that He is the Lord of life, capable of restoring what was lost and of granting a "new spirit" to those who believe in Him.
📖 Introit (Ps. 104, 3-4. Ps. ibid., 1.)
Lætétur cor quæréntium Dóminum: quǽrite Dóminum, et confirmámini: quǽrite fáciem ejus semper. Ps. Confitémini Dómino, et invocáte nomen ejus: annuntiáte inter gentes ópera ejus.℣. Glória Patri.
Let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice: seek the Lord and be strengthened, seek His face always. Ps. Confess to the Lord and invoke His name: proclaim among the nations His works. Glory to the Father.
📖 Epistle (4 Kings 4, 25-38)
In those days, a Shunammite woman sought Elisha on Mount Carmel. When this man of God saw her arriving, he said to Gehazi, his servant: Behold that Shunammite. Go to meet her and ask her: Is everything well with you, with your husband, and with your son? And she answered him: Well. When she came to the man of God on the mountain, she embraced his feet; and Gehazi approached to push her away. The man of God said to him: Leave her, for her soul is in bitterness and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not revealed it to me. Then she said: Did I ask my lord for a son, by any chance? Did I not tell you: Do not deceive me? Elisha said to Gehazi: Gird up your loins, take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, do not greet him; if anyone greets you, do not answer him; and place my staff on the face of the boy. Meanwhile the boy's mother said to him: By the Lord and by your soul, I will not leave you. So he got up and accompanied her. Gehazi, however, had gone ahead of them and placed the staff on the face of the child. However, he had no voice nor gave any sign of life. He returned to meet his lord and announced it to him, saying: The child has not risen. When Elisha arrived at the house, he found the child dead, lying on his bed. He entered and immediately closed the door on the child; and prayed to the Lord. Then, going up to the bed, he lay upon the child; he placed his mouth on the boy's mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on the child's hands; and bending over him, the child's flesh became warm. Going down, he walked around the house from one side to the other; and then, going up to the bed again, he lay upon the boy again. Then the child yawned seven times and opened his eyes. And Elisha called Gehazi and said to him: Call this Shunammite. When called, she came to him. And Elisha said: Take your son. The woman approached and threw herself at his feet, worshiping him with her face on the ground. Taking her son, she withdrew. And Elisha returned to Gilgal.
📖 Gospel (Lk 7, 11-16)
At that time, Jesus was going to a city called Nain. His disciples and a great crowd were going with Him. And when He arrived near the gate of the city, behold, they were carrying a dead man, the only son of his mother, who was a widow. A large crowd from the city was coming with her. Seeing her, the Lord was moved with compassion for her and said to her: Do not weep. Then He approached and touched the bier. (And those carrying it stopped.) Then Jesus said: Young man, I tell you, arise. And the one who was dead sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him to his mother. But all were filled with fear; and they glorified God, saying: A great Prophet has arisen among us; and God has visited His people.
✝️ The power of God that overcomes death and grants a new life
In the Gospel, the scene of the widow of Nain reveals Christ's divine nature in a sublime way. His compassion is not merely human; it is God's mercy acting to restore life. Saint Augustine, in his Sermon 98, interprets this passage allegorically: the widow represents the Holy Mother Church, weeping for her children dead through sin. The dead young man is the soul that has lost the life of grace. Our Lord, moved with compassion, does not wait to be asked, but takes the initiative to stop the funeral procession and, with a word of absolute authority - "Young man, I tell you, arise" -, restores life. Saint Thomas Aquinas notes that, unlike the prophets who prayed to God to perform miracles, Christ commands death with His own power, for He is the Lord of life. The young man who sits and speaks is the image of the soul that, resurrected by the grace of confession, returns to praise God. This miracle is, therefore, a visible sign of the spiritual resurrection that Christ offers to every sinner who approaches Him with a contrite heart.
The Epistle, narrating the resurrection of the Shunammite's son by the prophet Elisha, serves as a powerful prefiguration of the miracle of Nain. Here we see a man of God who, to overcome death, needs to pray intensely and perform a complex ritual, lying upon the boy's body. Elisha acts as an intercessor, an instrument of divine power, and not as the source of that power. His action, although miraculous, demonstrates the effort and mediation necessary in the Old Testament. The mother's faith and perseverance are notable; she is not satisfied with sending the servant with the staff, but insists on the presence of the prophet himself, teaching us not to give up in prayer and to always seek the source of grace, not only its intermediaries. This event shows that God was already working wonders through His chosen ones, preparing the people for the One who would come with the fullness of power, capable of overcoming death with a simple word.
Connecting the two readings through the light of the Introit, we understand the progression of Revelation. The Introit is the divine promise: "I will pour clean water upon you... and I will give you a new spirit". Elisha, in the Epistle, is a channel of this promise, a figure pointing to the future. The miracle he performs is a foreshadowing of the victory over death, but still imperfect. In the Gospel, Christ fulfills the promise in its fullness. He does not need rituals or visible effort; His word is creative and life-giving. He is the very "clean water" that purifies and the "new spirit" that is given. The physical resurrection of the Shunammite's son and of the widow of Nain's son are signs of the greater resurrection that Christ came to bring: the liberation from the captivity of sin and spiritual death, offered to all in the sacrament of Baptism and renewed in Penance. The Lenten liturgy invites us to experience this life-giving power, to let Christ stop the funeral cortege of our sins and say to us also: "Arise".