Mark 3: 1-6
Again Jesus entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come forward.” Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
With Him at All Costs
His goodness is always welcome — even when it’s not. In today’s Gospel, Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath. Back in Herod’s kingdom, any manual labor was prohibited and the townspeople wanted to see how far Jesus would go to help his fellow brethren. And he did! Jesus healed the man knowing it would create further fodder for the Pharisees to tell the king. Have you faced a time in your life where you stood up for what was right only to be scorned? Awesome! You are truly living the life the Lord has laid out for you. He ensures a blessed life for those who follow him and most times we will face the criticisms of the Pharisees and King Herods of our time no matter what we do. Saint Ignatius teaches us that we are either with the Lord or Satan. Few situations in our life are as binary without a shade of gray; resolve today to be with him at all costs.
—Ellen M. Walker, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Xavier University in Louisiana — the only Catholic HBCU in the US — and a lector at Saint Anthony of Padua in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Prayer
There is nothing that we can do but love, and dear God — please enlarge our hearts to love each other, to love our neighbor, to love our enemy as well as our friend.
—Dorothy Day
Pray with the Pope
Pray with the monthly prayer intentions of the pope.