WEDNESDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME JANUARY 19, 2022

MASS READINGS

A reading of the holy Gospel according to Mk 3:1-6

Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand. They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse him. He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up here before us.” Then he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

REFLECTION:

“Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?”

When God revealed the Ten Commandments to the Israelites at Mount Sinai, they were commanded to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy by not doing any work and allowing the whole household to cease from work. This was in recognition of God's act of creation and the special status that God had conferred on the seventh day during the creation week.

The full text of the commandment found in the Torah reads:

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, your God.  In it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.  For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.  Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." (Exodus 20:8-11)

Just before Mark reports the healing of the withered hand, Jesus and His disciples had gone through the grainfields. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath." He reminded them of David and his companions when hungry went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat. Jesus explained to them. "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."

So when the Pharisees followed Jesus into the synagogue that day, they were cautious about confronting Him again and instead they observed Him and remained silent in their hardness of heart. And plotted to put Him to death.

Jesus pointed out to the Jews their misunderstanding of the Mosaic Law by making observance of the Sabbath more rigorous than God had commanded. It was not unlawful to eat on the Sabbath, even if food must be obtained by plucking grain from the ears. It was not unlawful to do good on the Sabbath day. Healing was a work of mercy, and Jesus, portrayed as Lord of the Sabbath was merciful. Criticisms of healing on the Sabbath were unjustified.

Thought of the day: Many suffer. Jesus knows it is not easy living in this world. Sometimes we can be around people who suffer physically, mentally or even financially, yet we don't do anything for them. Are we too rigid, legalistic, or is it that our hearts are hardened to what others are going through? Let Jesus be our focus and let Him guide our hearts. If Jesus approaches us with a problem that we can solve or help, should we not come to His assistance or do we look the other way? Let Jesus show us how to behave and treat one another.

Thanking God for all He has done for us.

God Bless You