Daily Reflections - March 12, 2013

THE PERSECUTION OF JESUS

 

We hear today that the supposed reason why many of the Jewish leaders supported the persecution of Jesus was that He broke the Sabbath law by healing people on the Sabbath. For me, this seems a very narrow-minded interpretation of the law on rest. Perhaps it indicates something deeper about the persecution of Jesus — could it be that the leaders were grasping at straws, so to speak, in coming up with a justifiable reason to reject Jesus and the Gospel He proclaimed?

There must be a modicum of truth in this analysis. To persecute someone for doing miraculous healings on the Sabbath is a ridiculous idea. Any parent will not think twice about saving their child from a treacherous situation. They will not even consider what day of the week it is before they act. Similarly, if I knew I could heal a person from lameness, deafness, blindness or other illness (as Jesus certainly knew He could), I have no doubt that I would do so, regardless of what day of the week it is.

The Jewish leaders were struggling to find a reason to reject Jesus and all that He stood for, and this was the only fault they could find. It is a warning to us all that, no matter how we may feel about a situation, when we are grasping at straws to find a reason for us to do something, then the warning bells should be ringing, especially if it is a serious situation. Persecuting a person all the way to his death certainly qualifies as a serious situation.

As we follow Christ as His disciples, as we seek to be active members in our faith communities, let us pray that common sense will prevail in our discernment of situations and issues, such that we do not stretch credulity to justify our actions. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: What grounds do you use to discern the rightness and wrongness of your actions?

 

Lord Jesus, help me keep the process of discernment as simple as possible in my life.