DAILY GOSPEL COMMENTARY . JESUS CURES A WOMAN ON A SABBATH (Lk 13:10–17).
by James Tissot, 1886-1896 (Brooklyn Museum. Public domain. Wikipedia)
Jesus cures a woman on a sabbath
Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, “There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.” The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering? This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?” When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.
Gospel Commentary from the Navarre Bible, Commentary of the Gospel of St. Luke (with permission)
- 10-17 As was the custom, our Lord used go to the synagogue on the sabbath. Noticing this poor woman, he uses his power and mercy to cure her.
- The ordinary people are delighted, but the ruler of the synagogue, apparently zealous about fulfilling the law (cf. Ex 20:8; 3 1:14; Lev 19:3-30), publicly upbraids our Lord.
- Jesus energetically censures this warped interpretation of the Law and stresses the need for mercy and understanding, which is what pleases God (cf. Hos 6:6; Jas 2:13).
Dear brethren in Christ, God wants us to fix our sight and goal towards eternal happiness which cannot be found in earthly realities but ultimately in God Himself. Burdened and bent by the weight of our sins and by the disordered worldly realities which prevent us from fixing our gaze and putting our heart in God, let us ask His grace and mercy to cure us so that we may yearn and obtain what really matters in this life: our union with God in the midst of our daily ordinary affairs. For this we need to cultivate a life of prayer and a daily struggle to live the virtues and overcome our disordered inclinations out of love for God.
A great day ahead! Fr. Rolly Arjonillo.
VIDEO COMMENTARY ON TODAY’S FIRST READING
Eph 4:32–5:8
Brothers and sisters: Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones, no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving. Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person, that is, an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient. So do not be associated with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.
TOPIC: Can you see through the masks of others?
We often hear the expression, “the eyes are the windows to the soul.” When you glance at somebody and look at his or her eyes, even if he or she wears a surgical mask, you can very well sense a smile, a worried look or a sadness that conveys either his or her inner joys or longings and fears.
In today’s first reading (Ephesians 4:32-5:8), St. Paul encourages us to love others as he continues his discourse on unity and diversity of gifts through more concrete expressions. By loving others, we can build up God’s kingdom as we live righteously. He talks about tolerance and mutual acceptance. “Be kind, and tenderhearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ” (Ephesians 4:32).
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