Daily Reflection _ monday of 30th week OT


THE SABBATH CANNOT SET BOUNDARIES
ON THE LAW OF LOVE
In the Gospel of Luke we read that when Jesus encountered an elderly woman who was spent of her strength and unable to stand upright, He gave her words of faith and freedom and restored her to health. She must have suffered much, both physically and spiritually, for eighteen years of her life. She was bound by evil.

Jesus demonstrates the power of God's Kingdom in releasing people who are oppressed by physical and emotional sickness, by personal weakness and sin. Jesus released her from all this pain and suffering. The religious leaders were indignant that Christ would perform such a miraculous work on the Sabbath, on such a holy day. They were caught up in their ritual observance of the Sabbath that they lost sight of our heavenly Father's mercy and goodness. Jesus healed on the Sabbath because God does not rest from showing His mercy and love - ever. God's Word has the power to change us spiritually, physically, and emotionally. We just need to listen to His Word!
In another place in Scripture, Jesus is reported to have said that the Law was created for people, not people for the Law (Cf Mk 2:27). This is a principle that Jesus observes consistently. He has no hesitation whatsoever when He heals this woman. In doing so, He indicates that the Sabbath was the very best time for healing her since the Sabbath was a time dedicated totally to the things of God.
The Gospels always give us a cause for thought. Perhaps we should examine our religious hypocrisy and our self-righteousness. St. Paul also reports the teaching and the example of Jesus Christ, "Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has for forgiven you in Christ," and, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord" (Eph 4:32; 5:38). We must then "Live as children of light" (Eph 5:8).
Use today's Responsorial Psalm as your prayer, "Behave like God as His very dear children" (Eph 5:1).