Wednesday 19 January 2022
1 Samuel 17:32-22, 37, 40-51. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock! – Psalm 143(144):1-2, 9-10. Mark 3:1-6.
Consider the purpose of the law
In today’s Gospel reading, the Pharisees are concerned with whether Jesus would stray from the letter of the law in healing the man with the withered hand, while Jesus asks them to consider the purpose of that law – to bring people into closer relationship with God – and which action might better serve that purpose.
His words reflect the approach of Pope Francis when engaging with sensitive questions, such as the Church’s relationship to LGBTIQ+ people. As the Pope said in an audience in 2019, the important thing is to first consider the person in any situation rather than the letter of the law. ‘There are people that prefer to select or discard people because of the adjective – these people don’t have a human heart.’
We pray today that we continue to first consider how we might respond to each person we encounter with love, rather than how a particular rule or law might be applied to any situation.
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