30th Week in Ordinary Time (C) : Monday 24th October 2022

Paul urged his followers to be tender-hearted and forgiving with one another. After all, that is how Christ is with us, and when we live in a state of love, harmony, and forgiveness, we are imitators of God. That is our vocation as Christians. He went on to warn about immorality, especially when it is covered up with excuses or lies. Christians should live like the children of the light they are called to be. This is how we will make a difference in our struggling and broken world.

Some were upset that Jesus healed a crippled woman on the Sabbath. Why could He not have waited another day? But Jesus pointed out that all of them felt justified in caring for their animals on the Sabbath. How much more should the poor woman that had suffered for long be cared for immediately! We should never forget that people always come first, as helpful as rules can be. The rules do not exist to place intolerable burdens or suffering on us. If they are doing so, we must remember that the number one rule that must never be broken is mercy and compassion. That is how God deals with us, and how we should treat others daily. When we show compassion and mercy, we transform the world and push back the darkness.

Lord, help me to live as a child of the light.