Glorifying God by Restoring Human Dignity!

Monday, October 30, 2023

Romans 8:12-17; Luke 13:10-17

The mention of ‘Sabbath’ is an indication that Jesus intends to establish its true meaning. 

The rest and leisure intended for the Sabbath day were meant to prioritize the praise and worship of God. However, by defining even humanitarian acts as ‘work,’ the Jewish authorities robbed the Lord’s Day of its original meaning. As a result, kindness and compassion toward those in need on the Sabbath were interpreted as going against the purpose of the Sabbath itself. 

The description of the crippled woman is heart-rending: she was ‘crippled for 18 years, fully bent over and incapable of standing erect.’ The situation beckons Jesus’ compassion.

Jesus’ intervention on behalf of the woman arises out of his righteous anger. He is disappointed that they have turned the Sabbath to suit their explanation. Jesus is hurt by the kind of interpretation given to the Sabbath by which they can lead the animals for watering on the day, but would not tolerate the healing of a suffering human, though the latter has been created in God’s image and likeness. 

The fact that cruelty and oppression are meted out to humans in the name of God infuriates Jesus, and he responds to the situation by performing the cure. 

By his compassionate act, Jesus is making them understand that the other name for God is humanity, and God remaining ousted in any act of piety only amounts to idolatry. Jesus helps them see their spiritual blindness. 

Through today’s gospel, Jesus facilitates our understanding that nothing glorifies God better than restoring one’s human dignity. Jesus’ priority to heal the crippled woman declares his intention that human dignity cannot wait for better times. 

Let us pray for the grace to glorify God’s name by enabling humanity to thrive to its fullness!

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar