November 03, 2017

Gospel: Lk 14:1-6
One Sabbath Jesus had gone to eat a meal in the house of a leading Pharisee, and he was carefully watched. In front of him was a man suffering from dropsy; so Jesus asked the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?“ But no one answered. Jesus then took the man, healed him, and sent him away. And he said to them, “If your lamb or your ox falls into a well on a Sabbath day, who among you doesn‘t hurry to pull it out?“ And they could not answer.

REFLECTION:
Jesus is not unaware that healing is prohibited on Sabbath day yet He did it. The reason for doing so is manifested in His words to the teachers and Pharisees: “If your lamb falls into a well on Sabbath day, who among you doesn’t hurry to pull it?“ He could not afford seeing the man suffering. He acted spontaneously.
In Luke 3:5-6, Jesus taught that human need is more important that the laws of the Sabbath. In fact, He said that Sabbath is made in service to the people and not enslave the people. Of all God‘s visible creatures, we are the most important. We are the most loved. Our life is a sharing from God‘s life, created in His image and likeness. Jesus came for us. He died for us. All He did was for man to be happy and reach the fullness of life. Our being and our dignity are such that Jesus would even dispense the law of the Sabbath if only to save life. St. John Mary Vianney experienced such love of God and dignity of man that he said; “One soul is worth saving.“ In the words of Ninoy Aquino: “The Filipino is worth dying for.“ Let us appreciate our gift of life and its dignity. Let us be grateful to God for His care. Let us observe the “Day of the Lord,“ Sunday not simply as a law but a way to achieve the best of life as designed by God.