The Gospel for Monday of the 30th week in Ordinary Time is taken from Luke 13th, chapter 10, 17th verse Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath, and a woman was there who for 18 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 18 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. In this story we have a dramatic example of the change that presence of God in a human being made. The temple which was focused on the law and controlling people’s behavior was burdening people. And the woman in this story is a perfect example of why the temple had to be destroyed.
It was just a burden to people. And when Jesus replaced it with his love, with his power to heal, with his desire for people to be treated in a way that they deserved, is so welcomed by the crowd. It is also welcomed in our hearts when we know that the reason that God created us in this world is to get us to a place where we trust in him to be everything we need and to be following him through his Spirit living in us, and not through laws and regulations. Foreign Closing Prayer Father, the wisdom that you have given us by your ministry, by your presence in the world is such a treasure. Open our hearts to receive it. Help us to see the distinction between the the old way and the new way.
From a burden to a gift, from darkness to light. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.
