Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings call us to reflect on the transforming love of Christ.
As part of our social justice program, our parish has been involved in the Kairos prison ministry over the past several years. Church members are invited to bake cookies to share with the prisoners as part of a Kairos weekend retreat that is held at the prison. We are also called to pray for these men and women as we bake, and pray for them on the weekend of the retreat as well. The cookies become a tangible sign of love for these individuals. A group of men and women go to the prison and share God’s good news of love and forgiveness over a several day gathering. At one of our recent social justice meetings we heard a witness from a gentleman who had spent years in prison as a result of multiple crimes including burglary, drug abuse and assault. When participating in his Kairos weekend, the negativity, guilt, hatred, and sin were transformed by the outpouring of the unconditional love shared by those leading the retreat. Following this experience, he turned away from his previous attitudes of hatred and pride and began to reach out to other inmates in the prison. He now shares about his experience of healing with other Kairos participants.
In the gospel reading, Jesus heals a woman on the Sabbath and provokes the synagogue leader to question his reason for doing such a thing. Jesus responds by saying, “This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the Sabbath day from this bondage?” Luke 13: 16 Jesus’ love is so great that He wants to heal and transform all people to wholeness. To set this woman free from her affliction was more important than following the restriction of not doing work on the Sabbath. Because Jesus says, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity”, she “stood up straight and glorified God.” Luke 13: 13 Jesus’ blessing allowed both physical healing and a spiritual healing, since it enabled the woman to renew her faith and trust in God. This display of love not only blessed the woman who was healed, but the “whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.” Luke 13:17 This gives evidence of the great power of Christ’s transforming love.
In the first reading, we are reminded that we “did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” Rom 8:15 It is this Spirit of God whose love transforms us into “children of God.” We must turn to the Spirit every day to help us “put to death the deeds of the body” Romans 8:13 and be renewed and healed.
In our daily lives, we encounter many people who are enslaved by guilt, anger, fear, and hatred. As Christ’s presence, we are called to share that same Spirit that He has given to us and allow this transforming love to touch the lives of others. This may involve a kind response in the face of being verbally attacked, or maybe even loving someone that has been unkind to us. Although this may cause challenges and pain, we know that this is what we are called to do as disciples. We are encouraged to stay strong since we believe that when we share God’s transforming love we “bear witness to the Spirit” and therefore show that we are “joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him, so that we may be glorified with him.” Rom 8: 17
Today let us pray for the Spirit to be sent down upon us so we may be able to share Christ’s transforming love with everyone we encounter. May this love bring healing and renewal, so all men and women will be able to cry to “Abba” in praise and thanksgiving.
Marylynn Herchline