Never a bad time to do good works

Sisters and brothers in Christ, we read in today's Gospel that the Pharisees "watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure [the man with a withered hand] on the sabbath. . ." Why? "[So] that they might accuse him. . ." However, we know how Jesus would respond to them because, as our Lord had said before: "Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?” But they were unable to answer his question (Luke 14:5-6).

There is never a bad time to do good works even on the sabbath. I remember back in high school, I had a friend who joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormonism) and she did not want to do anything on Sunday. I also remember when we vacationed in Oahu, Hawaii, one summer, and we drove through a Mormon village on a Sunday and everything was closed. However, I know in my heart that they would not deny help to someone in a dire situation even if it happens to be a Sunday.

This is what our Lord trying to get the Pharisees to understand when he asked them: "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Again, "they remained silent" and Jesus, with righteous anger at the hardness of their hearts, healed and restored the man's hand. Like Jesus, we must always strive to do the right thing in the eyes of God, even when it opposes the laws of man.

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Gospel of the Day

Jesus entered the synagogue.

There was a man there who had a withered hand.

They watched Jesus closely

to see if he would cure him on the sabbath

so that they might accuse him.

He said to the man with the withered hand,

"Come up here before us."

Then he said to the Pharisees,

"Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,

to save life rather than to destroy it?"

But they remained silent.

Looking around at them with anger

and grieved at their hardness of heart,

Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."

He stretched it out and his hand was restored.

The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel

with the Herodians against him to put him to death.