God Wills All to be Saved

Homily for Tuesday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

At first glance, we might miss the fact that compassion is the heartbeat of both the reading from the First Letter to Timothy and the story of the widow of Nain, compassion that is woven into the very fabric of Christ’s mission and the Christian call to prayer.

The Greek word for compassion used in the Gospel story from St. Luke is “splagchnizomai.” It describes a visceral reaction, a reaction that comes from the depth of one’s being. Jesus isn’t just sympathetic or empathetic; He’s emotionally stirred to intervene. He knows the plight of widows in the Jewish culture. This woman will be left with no one to speak for her, no one to care for her physical and financial means. When Jesus sees her, He sees her sorrow, her anxieties and the hardship that lies ahead of her.

At first glance, the passage from St. Paul seems more procedural—about the kind of men and women who are worthy of the roles of leadership and authority within the community.  Look closer! We cannot lose sight of what we heard yesterday from St. Paul: “First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone.” That’s not just a civic duty or a pious admonition. Praying for others is a way of extending God’s love, God’s grace – it is an act of compassion and concern for others.

St. Paul reminds us that “God our savior wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” God longs for restoration, not retribution. It is for this reason that God sent Christ as Mediator – the embodiment of divine compassion—bridging the gap between broken humanity and perfect holiness.

We are all called to this kind of compassion. One does not have to look too deeply to recognize human frailty or the severe divide that has beset our culture and society, a divide which has prompted Pope Leo to ask us all to pray for unity and compassion for one another. The Eucharist, the greatest prayer of reconciliation we know, is the perfect way to pray for one another.