30TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 1 / (Green)
Ps 68:2 & 4, 6-7ab, 20-21
Our God is the God of salvation.
1st Reading: Rom 8:12-17
Then, brothers, let us leave the flesh and no longer live according to it. If not, we will die. Rather, walking in the spirit, let us put to death the body‘s deeds, so that we may live.
All those who walk in the Spirit of God are sons and daughters of God. Then, no more fear: you did not receive a spirit of slavery, but the spirit that makes you sons and daughters, and every time, we cry, ”Abba! (this is Dad!) Father!” the Spirit assures our spirit, that we are sons and daughters of God. If we are children, we are heirs, too. Ours will be the inheritance of God, and we will share it with Christ; for, if we now suffer with him, we will also share glory with him.
Gospel: Lk 13:10-17
Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath, and a crippled woman was there. An evil spirit had kept her bent for eighteen years, so that she could not straighten up at all. On seeing her, Jesus called her and said, ”Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” Then he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight and praised God.
But the ruler of the synagogue was indignant, because Jesus had performed this healing on the Sabbath day, and he said to the people, ”There are six days in which to work. Come on those days to be healed, and not on the Sabbath!”
But the Lord replied, ”You hypocrites! Everyone of you unties his ox or his donkey on the Sabbath, and leads it out of the barn to give it water. And here you have a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound for eighteen years. Should she not be freed from her bonds on the Sabbath?”
When Jesus said this, all his opponents felt ashamed. But the people rejoiced at the many wonderful things that happened because of him.
REFLECTION:
By freeing the woman from her infirmity, Jesus fulfills his task of releasing captives from the bonds of evil (cf. v. 4:18). Likewise, he shows the deep meaning of the Sabbath, i.e. liberating humans from the consequences of the fallen order; and he demonstrates its true purpose, i.e., encouraging works of compassion and not forbidding them.
There are various factors that could bind people: ignorance–Jesus ‘teaches‘ to let people know about God and to free them from ignorance (v.10); infirmity -he laid his hand on the crippled woman and immediately she was made straight and praised God (v.11); people–”the ruler of the synagogue” was indignant when Jesus cured the woman (v.14); law (”Sabbath law”)–the ruler said, ”There are six days in which to work. Come on those days to be healed, and not on the Sabbath!” (v.14); and evil–”Satan” has bound the woman for eighteen years (v. 16).
We are called today to trust Jesus for he has the power to free us from different factors that bind and prevent people from becoming holy. Likewise, we are reminded to avoid imitating the ruler of the synagogue so that we may not hinder our neighbor from being healed and may not add to the burdens they are carrying.
Daily Reflection
Daily Gospel ® is a product Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.
CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.
Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL
With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
Readings and Reflections
Copyright © 2O16
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com
