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GOSPEL POWER l SEPTEMBER 5, 2022 - MONDAY
GOSPEL POWER l SEPTEMBER 5, 2022 - MONDAY
23rd Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Lk 6:6-11
6 On another sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. 7 The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. 8 Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” He got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?” 10After looking around at all of them, he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was restored. 11But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
The Sabbath is meant to honor the Creator. While the Jews allow their bodies to rest, they must direct all interior faculties — mind, will, and heart — toward honoring God. Ironically, while the scribes and Pharisees are present at the Sabbath synagogue service, their interior faculties are not directed to God but are busy plotting evil against Jesus. For them, the man with a withered hand is nothing more than a “test case” that will expose Jesus as a violator of the Sabbath. While exteriorly these men appear to be observing the Sabbath, interiorly they are its real violators. Jesus unmasks them and brings their evil intentions to the surface by performing the cure they expect. As he exercises his freedom to do good, Jesus releases the spirit of the Sabbath from its bondage to the letter of the law. He proves that life-promoting acts on the Sabbath honor God much more than rigid abstention from work that may lead to omitting the good that must be done.
Lord Jesus, may our religious observances always yield to occasions that call for compassion. Amen.
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By Daughters of St. Paul | Phil-Malaysia- PNG-Thai Province
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GOSPEL POWER l SEPTEMBER 5, 2022 - MONDAY
23rd Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Lk 6:6-11
6 On another sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. 7 The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. 8 Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” He got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?” 10After looking around at all of them, he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was restored. 11But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
The Sabbath is meant to honor the Creator. While the Jews allow their bodies to rest, they must direct all interior faculties — mind, will, and heart — toward honoring God. Ironically, while the scribes and Pharisees are present at the Sabbath synagogue service, their interior faculties are not directed to God but are busy plotting evil against Jesus. For them, the man with a withered hand is nothing more than a “test case” that will expose Jesus as a violator of the Sabbath. While exteriorly these men appear to be observing the Sabbath, interiorly they are its real violators. Jesus unmasks them and brings their evil intentions to the surface by performing the cure they expect. As he exercises his freedom to do good, Jesus releases the spirit of the Sabbath from its bondage to the letter of the law. He proves that life-promoting acts on the Sabbath honor God much more than rigid abstention from work that may lead to omitting the good that must be done.
Lord Jesus, may our religious observances always yield to occasions that call for compassion. Amen.