Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB
In
our gospel we see another confrontation between the Pharisees and Jesus. There
he was having dinner in one of their homes, and yet they were looking for ways
to jump on him and accuse him of breaking the Jewish laws. We hear in the
gospel, “…the people were observing him carefully.” (Luke 14:1) It’s as if Jesus is being
put on the spot.
For
the Jewish people, the most important thing in their relationship with God is
to make sure they meticulously keep the laws out of fear of being condemned by
God. They failed to see that the laws did not prevent them from doing good on
the Sabbath. They fell silent when Jesus asked them, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?” (Luke 14:3) The
Pharisees' silence reveals their unwillingness to answer, as they know their
own beliefs are flawed. They value their traditions more than the man's
suffering.
Jesus
goes on to heal the man with dropsy and then teaches that helping those in need
doesn’t break the Sabbath laws but instead fulfills the laws of Love that comes
from God. Further, the Lord is teaching us that we are to move beyond being
legalistic and to remember that, while it’s important to keep the commandments
of God, we should not ignore the needs of those around us as we attempt to keep
God’s laws.
This
gospel is a call to prioritize mercy over legalism. It challenges us to examine
our own lives and see where we might be putting rules and regulations ahead of
people.
This
gospel is another example of what the Lord teaches us elsewhere in the gospels:
we are to not only love God with our whole mind, heart and soul, but we are to
love our neighbors as ourselves. This includes even giving them help when it
might not be convenient. It’s not always easy, but we need to see the Lord
in all people we meet and reach out to them in their need, as the Lord reached
out to this man with dropsy. In this way, the Lord can work through us to bring
healing to those we encounter each day. In doing so, we will be bringing the
Love of God to those in most need of receiving God’s love and healing.
From Arlene B. Muller
ReplyDeleteYes. Most of the time we need to be vigilant to observe the Ten Commandments & the commandments, rules & regulations of the Church, but the two greatest Commandments to love GOD with all that is within us & to love our neighbor as ourselves represent(s) the HIGHER LAW.
Fortunately the teaching of the Catholic Church provides for exceptions. For example, if we are the only available caregiver for a sick person, the obligation to attend Mass for the Sunday liturgy or the liturgy for a holy day of obligation. Is waived. We are called in every situation to discern what to do seriously & prayerfully & not take obligations casually but also to understand that the demands of charity & mercy take precedence & act accordingly. GOD judges not by the letter of the law or by appearances but by what is in the heart.