Stretch Out Your Hand!

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Heb 7:1-3, 15-17; Mk 3:1-6

Today’s Gospel highlights the humanitarian emergency with which Jesus approaches the problem of the man with a withered hand. 

For the Pharisees, who were closely observing Jesus, there were two problems with the miracle that Jesus performed. 

They are the timing (the Sabbath) and the nature of the illness (not life-threatening). In their view, Jesus could have either delayed the cure or waited for some other day to perform it. 

But, in his act, Jesus reveals a sense of urgency to perform the healing on the Sabbath day itself. 

In Jesus’ view, human dignity cannot wait for better times. Secondly, there is no better day to perform God’s work of healing than the Sabbath, the Day of the Lord. 

For Jesus, human dignity cannot wait for better times. There is no spiritual holiday. 

Let us pray that our response to the needy humanity may reveal a sense of loving urgency that is pleasing to God. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar