Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time - Seeing is Believing?

0:00This is Catholic Daily Reflections for Monday of the 23rd week in Ordinary Time. Today's reflection is entitled, Seeing Is Believing. On a certain Sabbath, Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes in the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the Sabbath so they might discover a reason to accuse him. But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, come up and stand before us. And he rose and stood there. Luke 6, 6 to 8. Even on the surface, the thinking and actions of the Pharisees are absurd.

1:01They had become blinded by their jealousy for power and envy of Jesus. This is clearly evident in the fact that they were hoping Jesus would perform a miraculous healing on the Sabbath, not because they desired a man to be healed or long to see divine authority at work, but because they had decided that miracles were considered work and therefore a violation of the Sabbath law of rest. The absurdity of their reasoning is shocking. Even an atheist who witnessed a miraculous healing would find it difficult to explain in a way or ignore. Only the creator who established the laws of nature is capable of bending those laws at will. What makes the Pharisees such a pitiful group of men is not that they disbelieved Jesus'

2:07miracles, but that they believed and intentionally rejected the meaning of those miracles. Those were, in part, signs of Jesus' divine identity. The Pharisees clearly witnessed the sign with their own eyes, but what they saw was not able to purge their self-centeredness. Rather than worship Jesus, they rejected Him and began to plan His destruction. Being there in the synagogue, witnessing the miraculous healing of this man's hand. Being a local synagogue, the people present most likely had known the man for years, and his withered hand would have been undeniable, as would the cure. Consider also, as you watch the miracle, the reaction of the Pharisees, rather than rejoicing

3:12in the goodness of God or falling to their knees in awe and gratitude, they see with anger. Their hearts are so hardened by pride and selfishness that even the undeniable power of God does not move them. Instead of seeing this act as a manifestation of divine love and mercy, they see it as a threat to their own authority. And rather than allowing the miracle to open their hearts to faith, they begin to plot against Jesus. In each of our lives, the absurdity of the Pharisees' irrational hate could easily arise. At times, others might treat us or our loved ones with a disdain that is so irrational. We sit back in confusion, declaring that such actions make no sense, because they don't.

4:19This irrational thinking can also tempt each of us when we allow the sins of jealousy and envy to faster in our souls. Those sins lead to irrational and at times absurd thinking. Though the Pharisees are anything but inspiring, their witness can inspire us in another way, shocking us into an awareness of just how destructive, pride and envy can be. The Pharisees' bad example becomes a warning and a call to self-examination. When we see grace at work in others, our hearts must be filled with gratitude, not tainted by jealousy or envy. Reflect today on the irrationality and spiritual blindness that can arise from self-centeredness,

5:24jealousy and envy. Consider the Pharisees not to condemn them, but to recognize how easily the same temptations can take root in our own hearts. When God blesses others, are you able to rejoice? When someone else is praised, succeeds or receives grace, does your heart rise in gratitude or fall into resentment? Be honest. Pray for the grace to be humble so that you will never fall into the trap of rejecting what is good simply because it did not come through you. Let the Pharisees' behavior serve not only as a warning, but as a call to sincere self-reflection, repentance and faith.

6:24Let us pray. My divine Lord, your power is undeniable and your identity certain. When you act in this world, your grace and goodness become manifest for all to see. Give me the grace I need always to rejoice in the good you do, especially when it is done in and through others. Free me from the jealousy that resents your blessings in my neighbor and from the envy that blinds me to your presence outside of myself. May I humbly love you in every way you come to me, whether through your word, your sacraments or the holiness of those around me. Jesus, I trust in you.