Do Not Harden Your Hearts

31 Oct

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy.
Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking,
“Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?”
But they kept silent; so he took the man and,
after he had healed him, dismissed him.
Then he said to them
“Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern,
would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?”
But they were unable to answer his question.  (Lk 14:1-6)

Jesus was constantly watched by His detractors.  They had so hardened their hearts against Him that they turned everything that He said and everything that He did against Him.  They did not care that He was healing people.  They cared that He often healed on a sabbath, something that was not allowed according to their laws and traditions because healing was “work”.

Jesus, in today’s gospel, confronted them when a man afflicted from dropsy was brought to Him.  He asked them if it was lawful to cure on the sabbath.  The implication was that if someone was not cured, that person would remain afflicted.  Would that not be the worse thing for God’s people?

Jesus does not want the worst for us, He wants the best.

Because of that, He healed the man in the gospel passage.

Because of that, He heals us, still, today.

God wants us to place our trust in Him.  God wants us to believe that He will do what is best for us.  For some, that will mean healing from their illnesses.  For others, it might mean the particular grace to embrace what afflicts them so as to draw closer to the Lord.

God is there to pull us out of trouble.  He is there to lead us and guide us.  He is there to save us.  All we need to do is accept what He wants to give to us.

FAITH ACTION:  Pray for all of those who are afflicted by disease, asking God to pour His healing power on them.