The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me. JN 10:27
1 CORINTHIANS 5:1-8
My Soul's Beloved,
St. Paul came to know of one grave case of sexual immorality in the Church in Corinth and he advised the community there how to deal with it. This is how all grave sins that cause scandal must be treated. Why? Because as You have warned and as St. Paul and the Apostles taught by You continue to warn that is we tolerate such sins then we are all in danger of being destroyed. You must know how even a small amount of yeast is enough to leaven all the dough, so get rid of all the old yeast, and make yourselves into a completely new batch of bread, unleavened as you are meant to be. Christ, our passover, has been sacrificed; let us celebrate the feast, then, by getting rid of all the old yeast of evil and wickedness, having only the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
It is time, Lord, for us as the Church and as members of Your Body, to boldly call out sin and to expel those whose moral choices have caused their souls to rot and they will pollute and contaminate the weaker members. Perhaps by being strongly rebuked and expelled they will repent, be cleansed and healed, and be restored once more.
PSALM 5:5-7,12
Lead me, Lord, in your justice.
You are no God who loves evil;
no sinner is your guest.
The boastful shall not stand their ground
before your face.
You hate all who do evil;
you destroy all who lie.
The deceitful and bloodthirsty man
the Lord detests.
All those you protect shall be glad
and ring out their joy.
You shelter them; in you they rejoice,
those who love your name.
Lead me, Lord, in your justice.
LUKE 6:6-11
My Soul's Beloved,
At Holy Mass this morning the celebrant's reflection on this miracle of the man with the withered right hand gave me a fresh understanding of the real suffering this crippled man had suffered because of his affliction. It was the Sabbath and he was in the synagogue to pray and to listen to the teaching. The scribes and the Pharisees however had ulterior motives for being there. They hoped You would heal the man on the Sabbah so they could accuse You of breaking the law.
Most of us are right-handed and a strong, functional right-hand makes life so much easier. We greet people with our right hand, write with it, and rely on it to do much of the necessary work. The left hand mostly plays a supporting role and is less dexterous than the right. You would have known all about this man's difficulties because of his affliction and You wanted to restore him to perfect health. You also were well Your enemies were also present and were looking for any opportunity to berate and discredit You before the people.
Addressing the man with the withered hand You said:
‘Stand up! Come out into the middle.’
When he did as You asked, You spoke to the people in the synagogue, ‘I put it to you: is it against the law on the sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it?’
Of course, they said nothing if they did, they would reveal their true intentions.
Then he looked round at them all and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was better. But they were furious, and began to discuss the best way of dealing with Jesus.
When we are too concerned about what people will think, or what could be the consequences of helping someone if it got us into trouble, we miss opportunities to be the miracle that they need. You did not care what anyone thought so long as You were doing Your Father's will and the Father's work. This work You have now entrusted to us, Your Body. Grant us also the grace, my Lord, to be a blessing and not a curse to those who look to us for strength and courage.
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