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Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: Luke 6:6-11

In today’s Gospel, Jesus heals a man’s withered right hand on the Sabbath. At this point in the Gospel, Jesus’s power to heal was known. People flocked to Him for healing, but some sought to manipulate His good deeds into an argument that He wasn’t keeping the Sabbath holy. This conflict in the synagogue is divisive.

Jesus says to the man with the withered hand,

“Come up and stand before us.”

The man stands. Jesus tells the man to stretch out his hand. When he does, all see that the hand has been restored. By Jesus’ words and by the man’s assent, there was healing. Did this really violate Jewish law?

By seeking to condemn and criticize, the Pharisees missed Jesus’ good intentions. Father Pablo Gadenz notes that in 1Kings 13:4-6, King Jeroboam’s hand was also withered when he stretched it out against a prophet who foretold that a child would be born of the house of David. The king pleaded with the prophet to restore his hand, and he did.

Gadenz points out that when Jesus gives this same sign, He is signaling that like King Jeroboam’s hand being restored by a prophet, Israel’s restoration has begun through Jesus. However, the Pharisees miss this sign because they were too busy seeking to condemn and criticize.

In some ways, this story seems removed from our daily experiences. I’ve never personally seen someone healing a withered hand on the Sabbath. However, I have seen a lot of internal squabbling in our Church lately. These squabbles can lead us to the same error as the Pharisees. We miss the miracle of Christ in our midst and in our brothers and sisters when we criticize others instead of seeing the good. Look for the good intentions in your neighbors today.

 

Ponder:

 

Is there a place in my life where I seek to condemn? How can I change my gaze toward seeing the good?

 

Pray:


Lord, You favor us with miracles daily. Help us to see Your work in the lives of those around us and appreciate the good.

 

Click to tweet:
Squabbling in the Church can lead us to the same error as the Pharisees. We miss the miracle of Christ in our midst and in our brothers and sisters when we criticize others instead of seeing the good. #dailygospel

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Copyright 2022 Elizabeth Tomlin

About the Author

Elizabeth Tomlin

Elizabeth Tomlin

Elizabeth is the author of Joyful Momentum: Building and Sustaining Vibrant Women’s Groups (Ave Maria Press), General Counsel for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and director of stewardship for the Military Council of Catholic Women, where she previously served as the president and as director of faith formation. Elizabeth is a catechist and speaker, and blogs at JoyfulMomentum.org.