Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Lk 6: 6-11
September 11, 2023 | Monday
On another Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and began teaching. There was a man with a paralyzed right hand, and the teachers of the law and the Pharisees watched him: Would Jesus heal the man on the Sabbath? If he did, they could accuse him.
But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to the man, “Get up, and stand in the middle.” Then he spoke to them, “I want to ask you: what is allowed by the law on the Sabbath? To do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” And Jesus looked around at them all.
Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored, becoming as healthy as the other. But they were furious and began to discuss with one another how they could deal with Jesus.
Today’s Reflection:
In the sight of most religious leaders especially the Pharisees, Christ is a threat. They saw Jesus as changing traditionally observed religious customs and practices. Due to this, many of them may have been thinking that Christ’s actions could possibly motivate others to go against their imposed rules and laws. Thus, the authorities they hold would then be defied and they may just lose their prestigious place in society. But perhaps this is not what Christ really intended to do. He simply wanted people to learn and observe above all the spirit of God’s Law: the law of Love. Love is the defining factor of this said Law. Everything should be anchored here and observed in accordance with it. /Vulnerasti, 2023.
