The man with the shriveled hand wasn’t looking for a miracle. He just happened to be at the right place, at the right time. And Jesus showed up. I imagine him standing in the crowd, maybe half-listening, when Jesus calls him forward. Me? Why me? He wasn’t expecting anything special, but because he showed up, God did something amazing.

I tend to overthink things, believing I need to do more, pray harder, work smarter, figure it all out before God steps in. But this man? He was just present. 

The lesson? Just show up. Show up for work even when you’re frustrated. Show up for prayer even when your mind is running a marathon of deadlines and worries. Show up for family even when you’re exhausted. Show up when it’s just another ordinary day—because that might just be the day Jesus calls your name.

I won’t always know if I’m in the right place at the right time. But God makes things right. And when He calls me forward, I’ll step up—because ready or not, His grace is never late. And that’s all I really need. 

Didoy Lubaton M.D. (didoymd@gmail.com)

reflect

When we trust in God’s timing and patiently wait for Him, we receive the gift of trust and faith.

Jesus, I trust You to meet me where I am—even when I’m lost.

Saint Regina, pray for us.

One of the responsibilities of a leader is to protect the Christian community. Unfortunately, this may require asking a person to leave the community in order to protect the body from the errors of that person’s ways. This is serious business and should never be taken lightly. However, those in leadership must exercise their responsibility for the sake of the community and protect it from errors and serious immorality.

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 

It is absurd for anyone to object to the healing of a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. Yet blind obedience to the Law of Moses can lead some to such rigidity of thought. Laws—whether of faith or of the land—must serve the dignity and well-being of the human person, and never be wielded against them. The law is meant to be a guide toward righteousness, not an unyielding principle detached from mercy and wisdom.

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 PSALMS 66 - 70 today.

Jesus and the Pharisees don’t usually agree, but here, they do—they both know the Sabbath is important. What causes conflict is their different understandings of how to honor it. 

In the Gospel, this issue is brought to the fore through the healing of the man with a withered hand on the day of rest itself. From the Pharisees’ perspective, the Sabbath is a day for doing nothing. Jesus, on the contrary, marks this day by doing good—by healing a sick person. Hence, Jesus poses an important question to the Pharisees and the scribes. This question not only reveals Jesus’ priority, but it also challenges their understanding of how to observe the Day of the Lord. “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?” (Luke 6:9). The Pharisees’ nonresponse to Jesus’ question indicates that they agree that it is deemed acceptable, worthy, and reasonable for one to do good on the Sabbath.

One Bible scholar points out that the scribes and Pharisees could have argued that the man’s condition wasn’t urgent or life-threatening. In their eyes, there was no real reason why the healing had to happen right then and there. It could have waited until after the Sabbath. So, for them, Jesus should have delayed the healing to follow the Law more strictly. However, He sees no reason to withhold the healing of the man in need. For Him, the best way to observe the Sabbath is putting the good of others as the highest priority. 

After each Mass, we are sent to go out and offer comfort to the bereaved and do our share of easing the burden of those suffering in our midst. These are the good ways by which we can mark the Day of the Lord. This is our worship—one that extends beyond the church doors. 

Fr. Ricky Montañez, AA

reflection question

How do you make the Lord’s Day truly holy—not just in church, but in how you live and love others?

Lord, grant me the grace to honor You not only in prayer, but more so, in serving otherswith love beyond the walls of the church. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ______________________________________