THEY WERE SILENT…

Romans 9:1-5

1 I am speaking the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen by race.
4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;5 to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ. God who is over all be blessed for ever. Amen.

Luke 14:1-6

1 One sabbath when he went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching him.
2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy.3 And Jesus spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not?”
4 But they were silent. Then he took him and healed him, and let him go.
5 And he said to them, “Which of you, having an ass or an ox that has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull him out on a sabbath day?”
6 And they could not reply to this.  

MEDITATION

St PAUL’S moral conscience got the better of him such that he could not contain his desire to give witness to the Holy Spirit that compelled him to make Christ known to his fellow Jewish community! Paul is very aware that should he fail to proclaim the Good news to his fellow Israelites, he may be cut off from Christ. 

Those of us who proclaim to be christians aught not to avoid our responsibility to share the kerygma to anyone who is searching for meaning in their lives. Moreover, if indeed we have been convinced by the merits of Christ’s death, ressurection and His saving meritorious grace, we are compelled to give expression and witness to the hope that is in us!

THE GOSPEL READING: The Pharisees were considered to be the most important of the three religious factions in Israel especially because they had a supreme view of the oral law that Moses received from God. It is in this context that they carefully scrutinized Jesus actions when a man who desired to be healed is presented to Him! In anticipation of the interrogations of the Pharisees, Jesus skilfully turned the tables on them by questioning whether it would be licit to heal a person on the Sabbath! The absolute silence of the Pharisees  assumes that their interpretation of the law of Moses were found wonting and or they need to review their understanding of the law.

Our failure to be candid with our friends and loved ones on matters of faith and morals will deny us the grace of God’s loving mercy. To will the good of others neccesitate that we proclaim the Good News of Christ saving grace and mercy by asking questions instead of launching into accusations. Silence in the face of a valid question may not nesseserilly imply that the questioner outsmarted his/her interlocutor, neither does it presuppose that the question was invalid! Silence also allow the hearer to review and reconsider their position in the light of new information. To be sure, our failure to be candid when our standpoint on Catholic beliefs matters, shall surely haunt our conscience! 

Catec 2468 “Truth as uprightness in human action and speech is called truthfulness, sincerity, or candor. Truth or truthfulness is the virtue which consists in showing oneself true in deeds and truthful in words, and in guarding against duplicity, dissimulation, and hypocrisy.”

LET US PRAY: Psalms 147:12-15,19-20

12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your sons within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sends forth his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
19 He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the LORD!

Author. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days