Most people suffer from a powerful illusion - they imagine that they are separate from one another, creation, and God. So much of our human behavior is controlled by fear, competition, greed, and selfishness. We want to get ahead of others and are always afraid that they will take away what we have. Paul had the solution: when we live in Christ, we become part of one body - the body of Christ. No one is more important than another, and there is no reason to fear one another. We can rejoice in the fortune or honor of another, just as we can feel their pain and sadness. We become a living, breathing, body - we strengthen, encourage, and nourish each other. In our time, we are often far too independent and individualistic, and we compete and want our own way. Being in Christ is not an empty idea or a slogan, it is a way of life.

Jesus was moved with compassion and restored life to the son of a widow in the village of Nain. We might wonder why he did not do this for others, for many died during his lifetime. Why does he not restore life to so many today who have died tragically before their time? In this case, it was an act of compassion to an individual person, but even more than that. He was sending us a message: death is not to be feared; God is the giver of life and will grant us that life for eternity. God is the God of the living; death, darkness, pain, and punishment are not to be found in him.