WEDNESDAY, SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Heb 7: 1-3, 15-17 Ps 110 : 1- 4 Mk 3: 1-6
HOPE IN JESUS URGES US ON
On a previous occasion, as found in the gospels, the Pharisees had accused Jesus’ disciples of violating the law of Sabbath. Today, the Lord Himself is accused of the same violation of the law because He healed a man with a paralysed hand on the Sabbath. Through today’s gospel, Jesus wants to remind us that doing good must not occur solely at specific times; showing compassion to our fellow humans should flow spontaneously from the heart.
The withered hand can be seen as a symbol of a soul that is burdened by sin and disconnected from God’s grace. Jesus had no reason to ask the man to stretch out his hand; healing wasn’t dependent on the man’s participation. Jesus wanted to teach all those present that the very thing that caused the man to be ostracised from society was a metaphoric sign of belonging. Jesus saw a man with a need, not a needy man. Just as Jesus restored the withered hand, so is He ready to restore full and free salvation to every withered life. God gives him the grace of healing through the call of Jesus to do it, to stretch forth that hand. Jesus comes not just to make limp hands whole, but He sees us in our misery. That is why He has come from heaven to deliver us from sin and guilt because he is a holy God who is jealous for the well-being of His people. The Lord is willing to break traditions and rules for the sake of compassion. For Him, the law should ensure freedom and wellbeing of human life; it should value human life and put it at the centre.
The first reading from the letter to the Hebrews tells us that Christ interceded for us to His Father. It is through Christ, the only Begotten Son, that we reach the forgiveness of God. He is both King of Peace and the High Priest of God. Let us pray to Him and ask him to intercede for us, especially when we are burdened by sin and disconnected from the Father.
Response: You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.
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