A reading according to the holy Gospel Luke 6:6-11
On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up and stand before us." And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Looking around at them all, he then said to him, "Stretch out your hand." He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.
REFLECTION:
"Come up and stand before us."And he rose and stood there.
"Stretch out your hand."
In the Old Testament God gave us His Ten Commandments. In the New Testament when Jesus was preaching, healing and teaching, there were 612 commandments that the Jewish religious hierarchy told the nation to follow. One of the commandments was of doing no work on the Sabbath.
The Pharisees and the scribes just did not like Jesus and were anxious to get rid of Him. Their envy and self importance clouded their vision of the obvious miracles performed by Jesus Christ. They don't much care if the man is healed. Conformity with their laws was of utmost importance and no one, not even Jesus Christ, should disobey their laws.
And just like that, with only a command to rise, stand and stretch, the man with the withered hand was healed on the sabbath. Jesus not only heals him physically without any effort but also restores him to society, free to stand before the congregation and free to worship without judgment. Jesus always does the will of HIs Father and His will is for good and for saving lives.
The Pharisees failed to see their own withered hands of greed, selfishness, bitterness, resentment, anger, disregard for the poor and the sick. Jealousy and the pomposity of their lives distorted their thinking.
Let's hold out our hands often in helping all who need help. Let's hold out our hands for God's mercy, graces and forgiveness.
God Bless
