3 November 2023 - Only By Grace Reflections
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TOPIC: ARE YOUR MOTIVES PURE IN DOING GOOD DEEDS?
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First Reading: Romans 9: 1-5
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 147: 12-13, 14-15, 19-20
Alleluia: John 10: 27
Gospel: Luke 14: 1-6
Jesus was invited to dine in a house of a chief Pharisee on a Sabbath day. We could not suppose that this Pharisee was Jesus’ friend. It was probable that he invited Jesus out of custom, or because of intrigue. He saw a stranger teaching religion whom some regarded as a prophet. Knowing that the Pharisees were critical to His teachings, the Lord Jesus obliged to the invitation nevertheless. And as the Gospel narrative goes, it was evident that “they watched Him intently.” In other words, Jesus was under scrutiny and being spied on!
Perhaps the Pharisees’ sinister plot was to see if Jesus would heal on a Sabbath and find a way to accuse Him of an unlawful act. Cleverly, they planted a man afflicted with edema or otherwise known as “dropsy” to find out if Jesus’ eye would affect His heart that He would cure him on-site. Dropsy is a disease that swells up the body due to fluids forming in the cavities and tissue. The Pharisees were successful in their plot, much like the manipulative political trick in our opening story. Indeed, Jesus was prepared to risk, notwithstanding the ire of the most influential people of His time, to cure the sick man on a Sabbath. He showed a love which did not count the cost. Jesus spoke to the Pharisees asking, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?” But they kept silent, so he took the man and after He had healed him, dismissed him. Then He said to them, “if your son or ox falls into a cistern would you not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” They all remained silent and stunned.
This is the 1288th installment of our CFC contemplation series focusing on the daily
