Expectations have effect

The text from the Gospel of Luke in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today tells of Jesus encounter with the widow of Nain who was in procession to bury her son. Luke records Jesus compassion for her and His command to the son to rise and return to life. The young man sat up and spoke and the people were seized with fear. Scholars note that the site of the compassionate action by Jesus is very close to the where Prophet Elisha had raised the son of a woman who had offered him hospitality. The sign presented at Nain places Jesus as successor to the Prophets. The text from the Letter to Timothy sets the expectations in the Christian community for the behavior of bishops and deacons. The understanding and meeting the expectations of others gives a strong message for attraction and attention. Once the attention is captured, the relationship must proceed with the quality cited by the psalmist as "I will walk with integrity of heart". Change is difficult for all. The attention to expectations offers a beginning of a journey which will ultimately "exceed expectations" and transform hearts.