Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Today's Mass Readings
Today’s responsorial psalm describes those who delight in the law of the Lord as thus: “They are like trees planted near running water that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves never fade. Whatever they do, prospers” (Ps. 1:3). At first this seems an odd companion for the gospel reading, wherein Jesus cures a woman in the synagogue on the Sabbath. The leader of the synagogue is obviously committed to the precept of not doing work on the Sabbath; he appears convinced of this law of the Lord. But does he “delight” in the law of the Lord? No, in fact, it seems that this man’s dedication to the law is not rooted as much in love as it ought to be. Jesus rightfully understands the law of the Lord as rooted in God’s love and meant as a guide to foster love for God. Hence he does not cure on the Sabbath in order to be a rebel law-breaker and to challenge the sanctity of the Sabbath, but rather he heals this woman out of love, a sort of common sense respect for her dignity as a child of God.
As such, Jesus presents a profound model for us. While we do not have his healing powers, we do share in his love for others. How to embody this love is the challenge of everyday life. And it is precisely this challenge of everyday life that Paul seems to have in mind in today’s beautiful passage from the letter to the Ephesians. We are called to “be imitators of God” and “live in love” (Eph 5:1, 2). This is our inheritance as beloved children of God; it is a privilege and responsibility that was won for us by Christ.
The challenge to live in love may seem daunting to us, since we often fail in kindness and forgiveness to those around us. It is in those times of failure that we must turn to God for forgiveness and ask for the grace to try again, to re-commit ourselves to embodying Christ’s love. If we are willing to embrace this challenge and cooperate with God’s grace, then we will ultimately succeed, or, in the words of today’s psalm, “whatever they do, prospers.” So, today, let us accept this challenge to live in love and thankfulness. And let us pray that God will give us the grace in a thousand little ways throughout each day.
- Maria Morrow