It gets me every single time. We’re at our tiny dinner table and the food is just within my daughter’s reach. Still, she’ll say, “Can you pass me the rice?”

When my menopausal hormones aren’t acting up, I’d grudgingly hand her the bowl. But other times, I’d give her a mini-sermon, mouthing what my own dear mother used to say when we were kids. “Stop being lazy! All you have to do is put the food in your mouth. What will you do if you had to work for it?”

This is our story, too, when it comes to God’s blessings. The truth is everything we need is already at our disposal. The Lord has given us a blank canvas on an easel, supplied us with brushes of every kind, and paint in every color. What beautiful picture will you paint?

Whether it’s running your business, pursuing a career, taking a second degree, courting the woman of your dreams, building your dream home, or restructuring your finances, you’ve got what it takes. Jesus tells you today, “Stretch out your hand.” Rissa Singson Kawpeng (rissakawpeng@gmail.com)

reflect

“Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it by yourself. It is not far. It is within reach.” (Walt Whitman)

Lord, today I reach out for all the best You have in store for me.

St. Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.

There are situations when, for the sake of the community, another person needs to be disciplined in one way or another. This is why we have jails—not so much as to punish someone for what they do, but to protect the wider community from any further damage that they might inflict on them. Studies show that jail, as a form of punishment, is not successful at reforming people. As Christians, we know that the answer here is to love them. Let us demonstrate our love for others by taking the opportunity to visit those in prison. After all, Jesus exhorts us to do this as a part of our regular Christian lifestyle.

¹ Brothers and sisters: It is widely reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans—a man living with his father’s wife. ² And you are inflated with pride. Should you not rather have been sorrowful? The one who did this deed should be expelled from your midst. ³ I, for my part, although absent in body but present in spirit, have already, as if present, pronounced judgment on the one who has committed this deed, ⁴ in the name of our Lord Jesus: when you have gathered together and I am with you in spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus, ⁵ you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. ⁶ Your boasting is not appropriate. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? ⁷ Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 5:5-6, 7, 12

R: Lead me in your justice, Lord.

⁵ For you, O God, delight not in wickedness; no evil man remains with you; ⁶ the arrogant may not stand in your sight. You hate all evildoers. (R) ⁷ You destroy all who speak falsehood; the bloodthirsty and the deceitful the Lord abhors. (R) ¹² But let all who take refuge in you be glad and exult forever. Protect them, that you may be the joy of those who love your name. (R)

Gospel | Luke 6:6-11

Let us try to understand why the Pharisees were furious with Jesus. It is almost impossible to provide a sound basis for their anger. Jesus challenged the Pharisees to rethink their position on many things, including some of the restrictive laws concerning the Sabbath. The anger of the Pharisees stems from the fact that Jesus undermined their authority and they could not refute His arguments. A better response on their part would have been to admit their fault and change their understanding of the Law.

Gospel Acclamation

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.

⁶ On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. ⁷ The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. ⁸ But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up and stand before us.” And he rose and stood there. ⁹ 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?” ¹⁰ Looking around at them all, he then said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so and his hand was restored. ¹¹ But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

Read the Bible in one year! Read ISAIAH 61 - 63 today.

During my first time to lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, friends warned me about the very strict immigration rules. To my surprise, there was a point during our transfer from one bus to another where the immigration officials seemed to just go through the motions. One hardly looked at my luggage and documents. They seemed to be in a hurry. Then we realized that it was already late Friday evening and Sabbath was approaching. All of them were rushing to be home as it was forbidden to do work once Sabbath day arrives.

Jesus once again comes into a controversy with the scribes and Pharisees regarding observing the Sabbath rule. Jewish religious observance dictates that absolutely no work or semblance of work is to be done on a Sabbath. This is in obedience to the third commandment of the Decalogue to keep holy the Sabbath. One biblical commentator said that, for the Sabbath law, to be “lazy” is to be holy.

Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on a Sabbath. He consciously did it on a Sabbath to correct the misinterpretation surrounding the meaning of the Sabbath rest. Too much obsession to avoid breaking the letter of the Sabbath law has led to the breaking of the spirit of the law, which is growth in love and holiness.

Have you been too cautious not to commit a sin that you end up not doing anything at all?

Yes, you may not be found guilty of a sin of commission, but you may still end up being guilty of the sin of omission. Sin of commission refers to sins that you have done. Sin of omission refers to good things that you should have done but did not do. You may lock yourself inside a room for fear of committing a sin. But doing so will deprive you of the opportunity to real growth in charity and holiness. Please remember, the moral life is not only about the don’ts. It is also—and more so—about the dos. The Christian life is positive. So get out there and do not be afraid to love and be loved. Fr. Joel O. Jason

reflection questions

How do you observe the Sunday rest? Is it just a day of relaxation and doing nothing? Do you make it a point to also “work” for your growth in holiness and charity?

Lord Jesus, do not allow fear to get in the way of my growth in charity and holiness. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ______________________________________________