15th Sunday After Pentecost — 2026

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Saint Luke recounts three encounters with Our Lord. A grieving mother encounters His compassion, a dead man encounters His divine power, and a crowd encounters the presence of God. No one is left unchanged.

Jesus and His disciples were approaching the city of Naim. As they reached the gate, they met a funeral procession coming out of the city. A young man had died, and his widowed mother was following his body to the grave.

This poor woman must have suffered greatly. Her husband had already died, and now her only son was dead. She faced not only the terrible grief of losing her child, but also deep anxiety about her future. In the world in which she lived, her husband and son would have been her providers and protectors. Now both had been taken from her. She was truly alone, and her future was uncertain.

But through the gate of Naim came the Lord of Life—the One who would declare, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

The widow did not ask Jesus for anything. Perhaps she was too brokenhearted even to notice that He was approaching. But Jesus noticed her. He saw her grief, entered into her pain and loneliness, and said:

“Do not weep.”

These words might have sounded impossible. How could she not weep? Her only son was being carried to the grave. Yet Jesus could tell her not to weep because He knew what He was about to do.

He then stepped forward and touched the bier. At once, everything stopped: “The bearers stood still.”

This was the second encounter—the encounter between Jesus and the dead young man.

Jesus did not pray or look up toward heaven. He simply issued a command:

“Young man, I say to thee, arise.”

God alone can command the dead to return to life. At creation, God spoke His word and life came into being. At the gate of Naim, Jesus spoke His word and life was restored. The young man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

There were two processions at Naim that day. One procession was leaving the city, following death toward the grave. The other was entering the city, following Jesus Christ, the Lord of Life. When those two processions met, death was forced to stop.

The third encounter was between Jesus and the crowd. The widow had been accompanied by “a large crowd from the city.” They had come to mourn with her and to accompany her son to his burial. But when the young man was restored to life, “fear seized them all, and they glorified God.”

They had encountered the power of God standing in their midst. There is only One who possesses authority over life and death—and that is God.

A true encounter with Jesus Christ changes people. A grieving mother was given hope. A dead man was restored to life. A large crowd was filled with holy fear and began to glorify God.

The same Jesus has the power to change us. He can restore hope to the brokenhearted. He can convert the most hardened sinner. He can bring a soul dead through mortal sin back to the life of sanctifying grace.

There may be people in our families, our parishes, and our world whom we consider beyond hope. Perhaps we have prayed for them for years and have seen no change. We may be tempted to give up. But no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace.

Spend time before the Blessed Sacrament seeking a personal encounter with the living Lord Jesus Christ. Bring with you, in prayer, those who have wandered far from Him. Place before Jesus those who are spiritually dead through sin. Pray for them, offer sacrifices for them, and do penance for their conversion.

The same Lord who approached the funeral procession at Naim is present in the Blessed Sacrament. He still sees the brokenhearted. He still approaches those who have no hope. He still possesses the power to raise the dead.

Place those hardened hearts before Him and beg Him to touch their souls and command:

“Young man, I say to thee, arise.”