In the continuation of Luke chapter seven, the resuscitation of the only son of the widow of Nain is narrated. Jesus, seized with great compassion, calls him back to life, to the amazement of the onlookers.
In the Franciscan Sources, the Poor Man of Assisi performed, by the Lord's Grace, many wonders in life and in death.
In the Major Legend we find this truly stupendous story.
"The little son, barely seven years old, of a notary in Rome, had taken it into his head, as children do, to follow his mother who was going to the church of St Mark.
Since his mother had forced him to stay at home, he jumped out of the window of the palace and fell to the ground, expiring on the spot.
The mother, who was not far away, suspecting from the noise that her child had fallen, hurriedly returned and, seeing that she had suddenly lost her son to that unfortunate fall, began to tear herself apart with her own hands, as if to punish herself, while with her cries of pain she excited the whole neighbourhood to weeping.
But a friar of the Order of Friars Minor, named Rao, who was on his way there to preach, approached the child and then, full of faith, said to the father:
"Do you believe that Francis, the saint of God, can raise your son from the dead, by virtue of the love he always had for Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to give life to men?"
The father replied that he firmly believed this and that from that moment on he would forever be a faithful servant of the saint, if, by his merits, God granted him such a great gift.
The friar prostrated himself in prayer with his companion and incited all present to pray.
As the prayer was finished, the child began to yawn a little, opened his eyes and raised his arms and, at last, stood up by himself and immediately, in the presence of all, began to walk, safe and sound, restored to life and, at the same time, to salvation by the admirable power of the Saint" (FF 1266).
Francis, in the footsteps of Christ, was able to do much for the benefit of many.
Again, a mother brought her dead son back to life.
Power of Christ's resurrection, even through his prophets!
«And Jesus gave him to his Mother» (Lk 7:15b)
Tuesday of the 24th wk. in O.T. (Lk 7:11-17)
