MONDAY OF THE TWENTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - Lk 6:6-11- THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” (Lk 6:9)

READING OF THE DAY

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians

1 COR 5:1-8

Brothers and sisters:

It is widely reported that there is immorality among you,

and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans–

a man living with his father’s wife.

And you are inflated with pride.

Should you not rather have been sorrowful?

The one who did this deed should be expelled from your midst.

I, for my part, although absent in body but present in spirit,

have already, as if present,

pronounced judgment on the one who has committed this deed,

in the name of our Lord Jesus:

when you have gathered together and I am with you in spirit

with the power of the Lord Jesus,

you are to deliver this man to Satan

for the destruction of his flesh,

so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

Your boasting is not appropriate.

Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?

Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough,

inasmuch as you are unleavened.

For our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.

Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,

not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,

but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke

Lk 6:6-11

On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught,

and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.

The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely

to see if he would cure on the sabbath

so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.

But he realized their intentions

and said to the man with the withered hand,

"Come up and stand before us."

And he rose and stood there.

Then Jesus said to them,

"I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath

rather than to do evil,

to save life rather than to destroy it?"

Looking around at them all, he then said to him,

"Stretch out your hand."

He did so and his hand was restored.

But they became enraged

and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

MONDAY OF THE TWENTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - Lk 6:6-11

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear people of God,

Today's Word of God teaches people to have love for their fellow human beings. Between people, do not cause division, jealousy, and hatred, because those things do not come from God but from Satan. God does not want people to fall into Satan's traps, because it will lead them to eternal death and separation from God.

From the beginning, God created people in His image, that is, He placed in people a heart that knows how to love their fellow human beings.

But today, people are increasingly moving away from faith, away from God, so their lives are filled with hatred, jealousy, and killing each other. Therefore, the Word of God always reminds each person's soul to live and practice according to God's commandments, which is: to love your fellow human beings as yourself.

The image of Jesus healing a paralyzed man in the synagogue on the Sabbath day shows that: He is a God of love, He came to save people from all painful illnesses of the soul as well as the body. He always puts love above all laws. He always shows immense mercy to everyone. Through that, He teaches people to love others as themselves. Do not let your brothers and sisters live in suffering, in the pain of illness, because of the law, and do not harm the souls of your brothers and sisters because of the law; those things make God very sad.

Today's Word of God invites everyone:

- Do not live hypocritically like the hypocritical Pharisees and hypocrites, but live truly from the heart, have mercy on your fellow human beings as God has had mercy on you.

- Become true disciples of Jesus Christ, always listen and follow the call of your Master, that is: have charity, love, sympathy and help all your brothers and sisters who are imprisoned, harassed by Satan, who are suffering in soul and body.

- Become like the little, lowly people to serve your brothers and sisters with the self-sacrificing love of Christ.

- Look up to the image of a loving God crucified on the cross, He died for the sins of each person and all humanity, so that from there each person will be determined to give up the greed, anger and ignorance of the world and practice the Word of God.

Thanks be to God. Amen.