Word to the Wise
Monday, September 7, 2015 - Monday in the 23th Week in Ordinary Time
[Col 1:24—2:3 and Luke 6:6-11]MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2015 MONDAY IN THE TWENTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME [LABOR DAY] [Colossians 1:24 - 2:3 and Luke 6:6-11] Readings may vary because of the holiday. "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." [Luke] The "him" in this scene is a man with a withered hand. The time and place are the Sabbath and the synagogue. The "they" are scribes and Pharisees who were there for the specific purpose of seeing if Jesus would heal (i.e. "work") on the Sabbath, "so that they might discover a reason to accuse him." Because we are hearing or reading this gospel passage, we have a choice of "being there" or just letting the words pass us by. I hope you will join me in the synagogue. The tension could be palpable. Since the scribes and Pharisees were "public" figures, their presence creates the drama. Jesus sees the man with the withered hand. He also sees the scribes and Pharisees. And he sees us all there and asks the question about what is lawful on the Sabbath. Then he heals ("works") the man's hand. Our collective breaths have been held and released. But the bigger drama is underway because Jesus has made enemies. We are celebrating Labor Day in the U.S.A. today. Jesus' action could challenge us to examine what we consider to be "sabbath" and what we consider to be "labor" or "work." What is sacred and what is secular? Does The Lord make demands of us in this regard? AMEN
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