First reading 1 Corinthians 5:1-8
Get rid of the old yeast of evil and wickedness
I have been told as an undoubted fact that one of you is living with his father’s wife. This is a case of sexual immorality among you that must be unparalleled even among pagans. How can you be so proud of yourselves? You should be in mourning. A man who does a thing like that ought to have been expelled from the community. Though I am far away in body, I am with you in spirit, and have already condemned the man who did this thing as if I were actually present. When you are assembled together in the name of the Lord Jesus, and I am spiritually present with you, then with the power of our Lord Jesus he is to be handed over to Satan so that his sensual body may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
The pride that you take in yourselves is hardly to your credit. 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.
Responsorial Psalm 5:5-7,12
Lead me in your justice, Lord.
For you, O God, delight not in wickedness;
no evil man remains with you;
the arrogant may not stand in your sight.
You hate all evildoers.
Lead me in your justice, Lord.
You destroy all who speak falsehood;
The bloodthirsty and the deceitful
the Lord abhors.
Lead me in your justice, Lord.
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.
Lead me in your justice, Lord.
Gospel Luke 6:6-11
Is it against the law on the sabbath to save life?
On the sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching him to see if he would cure a man on the sabbath, hoping to find something to use against him. But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Stand up! Come out into the middle.’ And he came out and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, ‘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?’ 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.
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Agents of God’s goodness
In today’s gospel, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on a Sabbath day. The Pharisees are watching His moves to see if He might be doing wrong so that they can have the opportunity to condemn Him. Yet, Jesus does not care about how others look at Him. The only thing that matters to Him is to do good and help others in need. Jesus urges us always to be motivated by love for others and make a positive impact on the lives of those around us. Following the footsteps of Jesus, we live each day using our gifts and talents, our time and energy, to do good and enhance the lives of others.
Jesus’ mission is to do good and save lives, and He entrusts us with this same mission. If we tend to watch and find fault with others, let us turn to Jesus and allow Him to guide us back to His work of doing good for others.
Reflective question:
How open am I to collaborate with Jesus’ mission today?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
