Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time, September 7, 2026

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

In today’s Gospel, the scribes and Pharisees watch Jesus closely, hoping to entrap Him by seeing whether He would heal the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath. Jesus, knowing their intentions, asks them, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?”. He then tells the man to stretch out his hand, and his hand is restored.

What stood out to me is that the scribes and Pharisees were given an opportunity to change their hearts. They witnessed Jesus do something good, yet instead of allowing themselves to recognize God working in front of them, they became even more angry and bitter. They were so focused on catching Jesus "breaking" the rules that they lost sight of the reason behind them.

This also makes me think about how today we can sometimes put unnecessary pressure on ourselves to be the “perfect Catholic.” We can become so caught up in the details, nuances, and rules of our faith that we lose sight of the bigger picture. Of course, following the teachings of the Church is important, but our faith was never meant to become a checklist of rules that we follow simply for the sake of following them. We are called to know Jesus and to allow that relationship to shape the way we live.

When faced with a difficult decision, perhaps we can take a step back from our desire to find the “perfect” answer and instead ask ourselves...Is this good or evil? Does this bring me closer to Christ? Is this something Jesus would do?

Sometimes, doing what is right is not about finding the most complicated answer, but simply choosing what leads us closer to God and allows us to do good.