Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about Jesus and His healing of the sick woman who had suffered for over eighteen years due to the binding and works of the devil, who made her to suffer grievously. And yet, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law criticised Him for what He had done, for to them, He has blasphemed and sinned by breaking one of the most important law in the eyes of the Jews, that is the law of the Sabbath.

And yet, their faith and their reasoning failed them, for they saw with the eyes of their flesh, and they tried to understand the meaning of the Law of God using the feebleness and the limitations of their human minds and thoughts. They were unable to truly understand nor comprehend what Jesus had done, and what He had intended to reveal to them by that action, that they might see the truth.

As St. Paul put it in his letter to the Church and the faithful in the city of Rome, he explained how all of us mankind must no longer walk in the way of the flesh, or the way of worldliness, but rather, we ought to walk from now on in the way of Christ, as we are all children and belonging of the Spirit of God, and not the belongings of the prince of this world, that is Satan and his angels.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law thought in the way of this world, thinking of themselves and priding themselves as the impeccable and flawless guardians of the faith, and as the just and faithful ones because of their numerous prayers, devotions and also strict adherence to the laws passed on to them from the time of Moses.

Yet, they failed to understand that those laws and ordinances were all actually given to mankind for a singular purpose, that is to bring them closer to God, to bring them to much more active and genuine commitment to God, and to turn them away from the path of evil and into righteousness and salvation in the Lord. And they were not conceived or given to mankind in order to have some to lord over others and think that they had the right to just so and so just because they deemed themselves more superior in piety.

Jesus indeed rebuked these people harshly, for their misguided ways and inability to understand God’s true intentions, despite them being educated, supposedly wise and as the shepherds of the people of God. Jesus showed them that God intended His laws to guide mankind to Him, and not to bring about unjust and unnecessary sufferings, especially to those who are willing to change and repent their ways.

Therefore, God showed His mercy and compassion for us, by healing the woman who had been afflicted and enslaved by the devil for over eighteen years. Why did He then choose to do it on the Sabbath? It is to show it clearly to those who have been hypocrites and failed to understand God’s intention and the meaning of His laws, that He wants us all to be saved, and if possible, as soon as it is possible to save us, not a single moment must be lost.

We can see this being practiced in how the Church regulates the baptism of infants after their birth. It is truly imperative that parents bring their newborn child to be baptised as soon as possible after birth, so as to grant them the seal of the living God, the eternal seal of baptism that is stamped upon the souls of all those who have been received into the Church of God. The salvation of our souls is God’s priority.

Let us all now therefore renew our commitment to God, and be committed in our faith, to help one another to reach out to the Lord, just as Jesus had done. Let us help all those who are still living in the darkness of sin, and help them so that they may find their way to reach the Lord who loves them and wishes them all to be saved, that is all of us. May God be with us in all of our endeavours and bless us always. Amen.