October 24, 2022

Mass Readings

Eph4:32-5:8

Lk 13:10-17

Happy Monday to you and a happy Independence Day to my home country of Zambia. We have a lot to be thankful for as a country.

Can I ask you to do something? Pause the reflection and go read today’s gospel passage. A unbelievable scene happens in the life of Jesus. He is at synagogue and his eye catches the sight of a woman who is enfeebled. This woman is bent over and has been held captive by a terrible disease for 18 years. Well Jesus is moved with compassion and heals her. The gospel does not say that he was moved with compassion but those of us who know him know that he felt deeply. Anyways he heals her. The trouble is, he did it on the sabbath. Are you kidding me. They don’t rejoice that someone who was In pain is healed but they get into a tizzy because our Lord did it on the sabbath.

I once read a book written by an Anglican priest titled: A manifesto of how to become a bad Christian and a good human being. A funny title it is but this priest was saying if being a Christian makes you an intolerable human being well ditch Christianity then. Jesus was a bad, a very bad Jew. He healed on a sabbath, he touched lepers, he welcomed sinners he did all the wrong things that his religion forbids. Well and just see what a beautiful kingdom he brought about. Sometimes you gotta go outside the walls. Come and see how we do it at Rabbouni.