Save Life

Greetings on this the Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Note: Inauguration Day – in a few hours President Biden will be sworn in. He started his day at Prayer Service at The Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington D.C. May he always put the Divine Guidance the first word of each day.

Readings: Heb 7:1-3, 15-17; PS 110:1, 2, 3, 4; Mk 3:1-6

Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?

Interestingly Jesus already is quoted as saying: The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.

Note: We always have to be careful with sequencing Jesus’ words. These stories and snippets are not always intended to be sequential in time or even actually sequential in time. Obvious sequential (birth, death, not included).

Now one must ask the question, what is the real question? They wanted something to accuse him with, a cure on the Sabbath, would in their minds be a violation of law. The outstretched withered hand – unable to do work, unable to sustain his life due to his deformity. His life is beng lost to his illness/injury. One could assume, nobody was helping him either. He, with the withered hand, was tolerated in the synagogue but not aided.

The Pharisees were interested in power, authority and this upstart carpenter son upstaging them.

Jesus frames the question to be about saving life.
When is it a good time to save life?

Always.
Always.
Always.

Jesus grieved at their hardness of heart. This is an example of law and rule being held in higher regard than the life to be saved. This is exactly the tight and mirrored logic of the Pro-life and the Pro-Choice arguments. They both grieve Jesus.

Friday is Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. It is a good time to refactor how we protect women and their unborn children. It is heartbreaking to ever disconnect the wellbeing of the child in the womb without the wellbeing of the Mother who is the womb. How can we talk about the baby without talking about the mother? She, with her type of withered hand, is distained and not aided.

Matthew quotes: Now go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, RATHER THAN SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

When is it a good time to save life?

Always.

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry