In this gospel lesson of St. Luke 13:10-17 we hear of the lord teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. Whereby Jesus sees a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for 18 years and could not stand straight. Our Lord who is compassionate calls her to him and says to her “Woman you are freed from your infirmity!”. After Jesus laid his hands on her and made her straight, she glorified God. We then hear of the indigent ruler who chastised Christ for healing the woman on the Sabbath because people who help other people was considered “work” and was strictly forbidden on the sabbath according to the Jewish law of the Sabbath, except in emergency situations. Jesus calls the ruler a hypocrite and makes reference to animals needing water on the Sabbath to be cared for. Then tells him, (paraphrasing) “isn’t a daughter of Abraham (daughter of Israel) more important to be cared for than the animals”. The bottom line is, Jesus is telling him if you can water your animals on the Sabbath which is work on the Sabbath, then it is perfectly fine for the woman to be released from Satan’s hold or spiritual infirmity on the Sabbath.
Reflection
Ask yourself this question, “do you think before you speak?” We hear in this gospel lesson how Christ got the ruler as we say “on a technicality.” How many times in our own lives are we caught in our own technicalities by others because we do not think before we speak and judge and accuse before we think and before we speak?