In today’s Gospel, Mk 3: 1-6, the Pharisees “watched
Jesus closely to see if he would cure…a man on the Sabbath so they might accuse
him.” When Jesus set the regulations
aside and revealed God’s compassion and mercy, the Pharisees left his presence
and “immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to
death.” In similar situations, do I
stand aside looking for ways to denounce another; and when I have identified what I consider a
misdemeanor, a breaking of “the law”, a
tradition, a “we-don’t- do-things-that-way”, do I quickly consult with “Herodians”
to further condemn/”kill” the person who
challenges my thinking, my behavior, my attitudes of superiority, my posturing
for position, my pride?
Jesus looked at them “with anger” and was “grieved
at their hardness of heart.” He called the man with the withered hand to the
front of the synagogue and said to him: “Stretch out your hand” and the hand was restored! Jesus did not back
down when others opposed him, when others took Him to task, were determined to
berate Him--yes, bent on destroying Him. What do I do when others oppose me
when I know I am called to do what I am doing, to say what needs to be said, to
act in accord with God’s will no matter how others react to me?
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