＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Ephesians 4:32 – 5:8

 Be good and understanding,

Forgiving one another, as God forgave you, in Christ.  As most beloved children of God, strive to imitate him. Follow the way of love, the example of Christ who loved you. He gave himself up for us and became the offering and sacrificial victim whose fragrance rises to God.

And since you are holy, there must not be among you even a hint of sexual immorality or greed, or any kind of impurity: these should not be named among you. So too for scandalous words, nonsense and foolishness, which are not fitting; instead offer thanksgiving to God.

 Know this: no depraved, impure or covetous person who serves the god ‘Money’ shall have part in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for these are the sins which God is about to condemn in people who do not obey.

Do not associate with such people. You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Behave as children of light; the fruits of light are kindness, justice and truth, in every form.

 

Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 & 6

Behave like God as his very dear children.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Luke 13:10-17

 Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath and a crippled wo­man was there. An evil spirit had kept her bent for eighteen years so that she could not straighten up at all. On seeing her, Jesus called her and said, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” 

Then he laid his hands upon her and immediately she was made straight and praised God.  But the ruler of the synagogue was indignant because Jesus had performed this healing on the Sabbath day and he said to the people, “There are six days in which to work; come on those days to be healed and not on the Sabbath.”

 But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Everyone of you unties his ox or his donkey on the Sabbath and leads it out of the barn to give it water. And here you have a daughter of Abra­ham whom Satan had bound for eighteen years. Should she not be freed from her bonds on the Sabbath?”

 When Jesus said this, all his opponents felt ashamed. But the people rejoiced at the many wonders that happened through him.

 

 

Gospel Reflection：

 We noted yesterday that the Rabbis of Jesus’ time debated about the greatest commandment. There was a great interest of the Rabbis on the negative prescriptions of the Law.

They were so concerned about what was prohibited. In contrast Jesus was so concerned with the good that to be done. It was no surprise, therefore, that the Rabbis pounced on Jesus when he “worked” on the Sabbath! They were concerned with the “Law.”

Jesus was more concerned with “persons!” The Law of love and mercy was more important than the negative prohibition. We are to remember that at the end of time we will be judged more not by our violations of the laws as by our practice of charity.

We will be judged according to whether we have been merciful and compassionate. The good we do to our neighbor will be remembered by Jesus who said “whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me.”

St. Paul also in our first reading tells the Ephesians to “behave as children of light” by “works of kindness, justice and truth.”