In our gospel today, it is striking the way that Christ raises the widow’s son from the dead. Before he speaks the healing words, he places his hand on the coffin. The gospel emphasizes that Christ comes over to the coffin itself and touches it. The widow’s son is given new life by Christ, but first Christ must touch the box of death that surrounds him.

Within every soul, there too is a widow’s son. We are all in need of new life, healing resurrection. But before the new life comes, Christ touches the coffin! Before we can receive resurrection, we must first touch the coffin in us, we must first recognize the box we are in.

For so often we box ourselves in. So often, we are unaware of the coffin surrounding our souls. We box ourselves in with blame, blaming others and the world, giving away our power. We box ourselves in with fear, deciding we are unworthy of His healing resurrection. We box ourselves in when we expect immediate resurrection, without first touching the coffin surrounding our souls.

Dear friends, as we strive down the path of resurrection and new life, let us remember that the Christ in us must first touch the very place where we have boxed ourselves in. We must first recognize that in us that must die, that which is imprisoning our hearts. For then we too can become the widow’s son and feel the power, ‘human soul, I say to you arise!’