Today’s Gospel reminds me of all that Jesus had to put up with. The leaders of the synagogue challenged Him because He healed a crippled woman on the Sabbath. She could not stand up straight. I know ladies that have the same condition and they struggle tremendously.
According to the Law of Moses, work was not permitted on the Sabbath. In fact, simply walking a certain amount of steps was considered work (I wonder if that included walking to the synagogue on the Sabbath). Jesus was not happy with the leader of the synagogue’s response to the healing and called those in the crowd hypocrites. He gave them an example using everyday life. His adversaries were humiliated while the rest of the crowd “rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.”
Let me attempt to bring the happenings of that day into the present time. When I was a young boy growing up in Ludington, virtually all the stores were closed on Sunday. The only exception was a little Shell gas station that was open 24/7 for taxis. What a difference compared to today! Many could not even imagine that.
Why were all the stores closed? To keep holy the Sabbath. Pretty radical, huh? Remember, the Ten Commandments are not ten suggestions. It took a few years, but slowly but surely stores began to open on Sundays. I mention this so you can take note of how changing just one thing can gradually deteriorate our faith. Think for a moment about how many other aspects of our faith that has happened to also? Too many.
What did it cost us not to go to the store on Sunday? Not much. It just took a little planning and sacrifice. We did it for hundreds of years and I don’t think anyone went hungry or died for lack of a cigarette. Teaching our children about sacrifices is really what we need to do. Just remember who performed the greatest sacrifice – Jesus Christ.
I invite you all to think of a one or two ways you can kick the holiness of your Sundays up a notch. Yes, to act on them may require some sacrifice, but putting God first is always worth it.
Serving with joy!
El Evangelio de hoy me recuerda todo lo que Jesús tuvo que soportar. Los líderes de la sinagoga lo enfrentaron porque sanó a una mujer lisiada el sábado. No podía pararse rectamente. Conozco a mujeres con la misma condición y batallan muchísimo.
Según la Ley de Moisés, no se permitía trabajar en Sabbath. De hecho, simplemente caminar cierta cantidad de pasos se consideraba trabajo (me pregunto si eso incluía caminar a la sinagoga el sábado). Jesús no estaba contento con la reacción del líder de la sinagoga ante la sanación y llamó hipócritas a los de la multitud. Les dio un ejemplo usando la vida cotidiana. Sus adversarios fueron humillados mientras que el resto de la multitud “se alegraba de todas las maravillas que él hacía”.
Permítanme intentar traer los sucesos de ese día al presente. Cuando era niño y crecía en Ludington, prácticamente todas las tiendas cerraban los domingos. La única excepción era una pequeña gasolinera Shell que estaba abierta 24 horas para los taxistas. ¡Qué diferencia con el día de hoy! Muchos ni siquiera podían imaginarlo.
¿Por qué estaban cerradas todas las tiendas? Para santificar el día del Señor. Es bastante radical, ¿verdad? Recuerden, los Diez Mandamientos no son diez sugerencias. Tomó algunos años, pero poco a poco, las tiendas comenzaron a abrir los domingos. Menciono esto para que se den cuenta de cómo cambiar una sola cosa puede deteriorar gradualmente nuestra fe. Piensen por un momento en cuántos otros aspectos de nuestra fe les ha pasado lo mismo. Demasiados.
¿Cuánto nos costó no ir a la tienda el domingo? No mucho. Solo requirió un poco de planificación y sacrificio. Lo hicimos durante cientos de años y no creo que nadie pasara hambre ni muriera por falta de un cigarrillo. Enseñar a nuestros hijos sobre los sacrificios es realmente lo que debemos hacer. Simplemente recuerden quién realizó el mayor sacrificio: Jesucristo.
Los invito a todos a pensar en una o dos maneras de elevar la santidad de los domingos. Sí, poner en práctica sus ideas puede requerir sacrificio, pero poner a Dios primero siempre vale la pena.
¡Sirviendo con alegría!
Deacon Dan Schneider is a retired general manager of industrial distributors. He and his wife Vicki have been married for over 55 years. They are the parents of eight children and thirty-one grandchildren. He has a degree in Family Life Education from Spring Arbor University. He was ordained a Permanent Deacon in 2002. He has a passion for working with engaged and married couples and his main ministry has been preparing couples for marriage.
Featured Image Credit: Tim Mossholder, unsplash.com/photos/black-and-white-unk-unk-signage-Ee-DnKZYmWU
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
1-800-994-9817