Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Lk 13: 10-17
October  30, 2023 | Monday

Today’s Gospel

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath, and a crippled woman was there. An evil spirit had kept her bent for eighteen years so that she could not straighten up at all. On seeing her, Jesus called her and said, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” Then he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight and praised God.

But the ruler of the synagogue was indignant, because Jesus had performed this healing on the Sabbath day, and he said to the people, “There are six days in
which to work. Come on those days to be healed, and not on the Sabbath!”

But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Every one of you unties his ox or his donkey on the Sabbath and leads it out of the barn to give it water. And here you
have a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound for eighteen years. Should she not be freed from her bonds on the Sabbath?”

When Jesus said this, all his opponents felt ashamed. But the people rejoiced at the many wonderful things that happened because of him.

Today’s Reflection:

The Lord once again healed on a Sabbath. Jesus healed a woman who suffered for a long time. However, the ruler of the synagogue saw it and was shocked. He then presented his argument by stating that there are only six days when one can work therefore Jesus must only heal within those days. Jesus replied with an exposition of the hypocrisy of the people. They took care of their animals even on the Sabbath, but they could not let the healing of a suffering woman on the Sabbath.

Jesus shows us what genuine mercy and compassion are. Let us always remember that we observe the law with Jesus as our guide. The gospel also emphasized the duration of the woman’s suffering. It took 18 years before she broke free from her suffering. The Lord challenges us to be always ready to help alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters. / Vulnerasti, 2023