Daily Reflection for Monday, October 24, 2022
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Monday’s readings at this link:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102422.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Ephesians 4:32-5:8
Responsorial: Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Gospel: Luke 13:10-17
Our reflection on Monday’s readings:
Brothers and sisters: Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. Ephesians 4:32.
Be kind to one another. This sounds so simple and easy. We often see clever slogans about practicing random acts of kindness, “kindness spoken here.” During the elections in 2020, yard signs included the words “Be Kind.” Telephone and store conversations often end with, “Have a nice day.”
Today’s reading from Ephesians calls for more than kindness. We are called to compassion (suffering with), which the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as “a sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it.” We are called to action.
St. Paul is asking for far more than a flippant “Have a nice day.” Being kind is just the start.
Being compassionate is also required. Being compassionate however, is not only being aware of the suffering of others, it also includes caring enough that we want to do doing something to alleviate the suffering or the cause of the distress. I am reminded of the words of Brazilian Archbishop Dom Helder Camara (1909-1999): “When I feed the poor, they call me a saint, but when I ask why the poor are hungry, they call me a communist.”
The Gospel tells the story of the kindness and compassion of Jesus when, on the Sabbath, he healed the woman who was crippled and unable to stand erect. Jesus went beyond kindness. His compassion for the woman, called him to do what he could to alleviate the suffering. So, he healed her on the Sabbath.
Instead of spreading more kindness and compassion, instead of forgiving this breach of official church rules, the leader of that synagogue was indignant and publicly criticized Jesus for his act of kindness and compassion. Who knows how this incident may have come up later as evidence presented at the trial of Jesus when he was convicted and executed by religious leaders with the support of the people.
Like Jesus, let me be kind, compassionate, and forgiving.
“To err on the side of kindness is seldom an error.” —Liz Armbruster
Peace and blessings,
Al Mytty